The Black Eva Pilot
by Minton23
Summary: Luck never seems to find poor old Guts, and his bad streak doesn't seem to be ending anytime soon. After a rather unfortunate turn of events during a battle with a rather weak apostle, Guts is transported into the world of Evangelion.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** **I wrote this story on a whim with minimal planning. I've never really hunkered down and written something like this, so try not to flame me too hard. Enjoy.**

Despite being clad in solid iron boots, the man's footsteps were silent as a corpse as he meticulously placed his next step with the utmost carefulness; the quietest snap of a twig, or the smallest sound of a small animal scurrying away could alert his prey. Too much time and effort was invested into this hunt to fail, so the man went through all the necessary precautions to ensure success. He had discarded his cape back at his campsite, as the risk of it snagging on a branch or shrub was too great. His armor and strange metal hand moved seamlessly and without a sound, its black color blending into the dark of the silent night thanks to some oiling and a fresh coat of paint. He ate a full meal so his stomach wouldn't rumble and filled his canteen by the river his one-man camp was occupied next to so the water wouldn't slosh around inside. The man tried to get a good rest in before heading out to prevent a sudden bout of yawning and overall lack of awareness, but alas sleep never came easy to him these days. Nevertheless, the man was no amateur to the sport of hunting, and minor setbacks such as a lack of sleep were common for him and would hardly throw him off his game.

While his footing was cautious and silent, he moved swiftly, for he had to keep up with his target. It was a full moon, but the thick forest the man and his prey currently occupied prevented any of its faint white light from breaking through. While the average human would struggle to see his own hands right up against his face in these conditions, this man was anything but an average human. The prey moved in a casually fast manner back to its home, not seemingly caring about how much noise it made nor its surroundings. The man gave chase while keeping pace with his target for some distance, his superhuman stamina never showing the slightest hints at fatigue.

The pursuit eventually concluded as the man noticed a speckle of light, indicating a break in the treeline. Simultaneously, the man's prey slowed to a meandering stroll, a lighthearted whistle starting to emanate from its lips. He took note of this and shifted into the next phase of his hunt, quickly moving ahead of his prey and diving behind a cluster of boulders just a few meters in front of the treeline. A single eye peaked through a slight opening between his cover, giving the man a wide view of a circular grassy clearing illuminated by the moon glimmering directly overhead.

He had put some distance between himself and his prey to reach the boulders, and after a few minutes of settling into his cover the whistling and sounds of feet crunching twigs and dead leaves resonated in the man's ears. He watched from his vantage point as his prey walked out into the field, its features becoming fully visible under the light.

It looked exactly like a human male. He had a long, bony face and wispy grey hair that waved lightly in the gentle night breeze. His ragged brown robes held together at the waist with a piece of rope signified his status as a common lord's peasant. To average men, this "prey" was nothing more than a lowly farmer.

His pursuer, however, knew full well that this man was no peasant.

The man in the clearing sniffed the night air, smiling slightly, before bending over and reaching to grasp the earth below him. Tugging on a fistful of grass, the peasant-looking man uprooted a sizable chunk of dirt, revealing a large burrow below. He took another sniff, this one much larger, and smiled a more broader smile before climbing into the burrow and placing the natural manhole cover back on top of the entrance.

Behind the boulders, the man averted his gaze from the clearing and turned back to look into the blackness that seemed to span infinitely into the forest. A slight, all too familiar tingling sensation began to make itself known on the back of his neck, and when he reached a hand behind to feel it he felt something wet. This did not worry the man, however. No, it was just the opposite — it excited him. The hand he used to feel the wetness on his neck reached further back and grasped the hilt of his gargantuan iron sword that no mortal should have the power to wield. The man unsheathed the weapon and from his cross-legged position behind the boulders thrust it out before him, its menacing tip pointing into the unknown darkness of the forest.

Guts was going to add another apostle to his kill list tonight.

This was an especially interesting one, this apostle. He stalked it much like he had done so tonight for about a week. Like every apostle he hunted, Guts observed its daily routine from the shadows, learning about its strengths, weaknesses, places of interest, and of course how it likes to brutally murder its victims before eating them.

This apostle seemed to target entire families, which was a first for Guts as most of these demons seemed to kill one human at a time to prevent too much suspicion from rising. Every other day as soon as the sun fell below the horizon the apostle went out into the town just outside of the forest and climbed the rooftops, jumping from house to house in search of new food. Guts would always follow from the streets below, sticking to the back alleys and low light areas in order to remain unseen. Then, when a suitable home was found, the apostle would slip in through a window and systematically knock each resident unconscious before tying them up and hoisting them onto its back and running back into the forest without anyone knowing a thing — save for Guts.

Guts would then shadow the apostle, who now had four or five bodies on its back, back to the clearing. The apostle would unceremoniously dump the family onto the grass and patiently wait for them to regain consciousness. Once they did, it would tell all of them to look up at the stars and the moon and explain to each one of them how this would be the last night they would ever see again. From there the apostle dragged the kicking, screaming, crying family members down into its burrow. Guts never got to see what actually happened inside that burrow, but the sounds that came of out it and the resulting stench the following morning made him not too terribly enthusiastic about finding out. Guts never really tried to stop the apostle before tonight partly because he didn't care about the families, but mostly because he wanted to be sure all of his information was in line before striking; blindly charging into a fight with an opponent as deadly as an apostle was borderline suicide for someone even of Guts' caliber.

As Guts thought back to the hunt of this apostle, turning over all the information he gathered in his head one last time before heading out, he smiled sinisterly. He hadn't had a good apostle kill in about a month, so he would make sure to take his time with this one and squeeze every last bit of enjoyment out of it. Guts checked to make sure his repeating crossbow and arm cannon were both loaded before standing up, Dragonslayer in one hand as he stretched after sitting for well over an hour. He gave his sword a few practice swings and turned to face the clearing, the faint smell of death lingering in his nose from previous butcherings committed by the apostle. Guts jumped up onto one of the boulders and peered out into the clearing, and immediately a warning bell went off in his head.

The cover for the apostle's burrow was gone.

The sudden sound of brush being disturbed instantly grabbed Guts' attention, but before he could react something with the force of a battering ram smashed into his abdomen and sent him flying out across the clearing and into a tree on the other side, nearly splitting it in two.

"Did you really think you could deceive me, _mortal?_ " A hideous voice rang out into the night. Guts groaned and slowly stood up, using the Dragonslayer as support. He regained both his footing and breath, and his eye took in the apostle he was up against.

It was red all over, having no type of skin or scaled to hide its meaty insides. Four horse-like legs stemmed from its main, grotesquely spherical body along with two giant arms that bent at the elbow at strange angles. A thick antenna sprouted out from the top of its body with a dozen beady black eyes, and an enlarged mouth situated itself from its sagging underbelly.

"I've known about your little spying game since day one," the beast yelled out to Guts, who was staring the apostle down with a look of nothing more than indifference. "That is the problem with humans like you, always so cocky and full of yourselves."

Guts sighed and pointed his sword towards the apostle. "If I had a gold piece for every time one of you slimy fucks said something like that to me. Now, I haven't had a good kill in over a month, so I'm kind of in a bad mood right now. Why don't you come on down here so I can remedy this situation, hmm?"

The apostle's twelve unblinking eyes stared astonishingly at Guts for a brief moment before bursting into a roaring laugh. "Heh! Ha! Ha ha ha! This is a first for me, a mere human challenging a great apostle! You are either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid, and since you are nothing more than a mortal I will assume the latter!" As soon as the words left its mouth the apostle burst forward towards Guts, arm cocked back and claws extended.

With inhuman reaction times Guts shifted his body weight forward and turned the face of his sword towards the enemy just before impact. With the force of a thousand stampeding horses the apostle slammed into the Dragonslayer, a large gust of wind getting kicked up and sending sticks, leaves, and bits of dirt flying in all directions.

Guts bent his knees and elbows to absorb the impact and began to push back, startling the apostle who didn't expect both Guts and the Dragonslayer to be so strong. Guts pushed the apostle off of his beloved sword and delivered a swift roundhouse kick to the creature's mouth, knocking out teeth and sending blood spraying into the air. The apostle flew back across the clearing and skidded several meters before shakily trying to regain its balance. "What was that about being greater than us mortals, hmm? Come on, I've fought cocks that are stronger than you," Guts teased.

"No mere human should be able to do that," the apostle sputtered between coughs of blood. "W-what _are_ you?"

Guts gave no immediate reply. He simply glared at the apostle, murderous rage in his one eye that caused even his demonic opponent to cower in fear. Guts suddenly cleared the gap between the two faster than someone could blink, and with one swing of the Dragonslayer he decapitated the stem and its eyes from the apostle's body. The creature cried out in agonizing pain, but only for a split second before Guts' boot found its place in its mouth.

"I used to be a humble mercenary," he said coldly, a shower of blood raining down on him from the arteries in the apostle's stem. He smiled slightly as the warm red liquid covered his body. "But now, thanks to you fuckers, I'm stuck killing shitbags like you. Now, unless you'd like to die an even more horrible death than any of those families you tortured, can you please tell me where the God Hand is?"

"G-G-Gaw H-Haw?" the apostle whimpered, his voice muffled by both the pain and Guts' foot. The Black Swordsman sighed, knowing the answer he'd get after hearing that response dozens of times in the past. Guts raised his sword over his head to deliver the final blow, when a faint rumbling sensation began on his chest.

Perplexed, and with one hand still hoisting the amazingly large sword up in the air, Guts reached down underneath his armor and shirt to feel the Behelit he got from an old crippled man awhile back. When his fingers reached the strange artifact Guts pulled it up out of his clothing and turned it towards him. His blood stopped cold, and he almost dropped the Dragonslayer he still held with his free hand. The Behelit was splotched in the blood of the defeated apostle, some of it having soaked through both Guts' armor and clothes, and its facial features were slowly rearranging themselves while the shaking grew more tumultuous and blood tears ran down from its eyes.

"No! No no no —" but before Guts could say or do anything else a sudden, blinding light encompassed the world around him and his senses became overloaded. Guts felt weightless, and as if time and space itself came to an end. Then a pulling sensation overwhelmed his body in every direction and a horrible screeching noise blasted his ears and strange voices were talking and endless images of random things assaulted his eyes and then darkness.

 **It's short, I know, but this is an Eva/Berserk story, not just a Berserk one. I wanted to dive right in, but I knew I needed to give some kind of exposition/reason for Guts traveling across dimensions. Also, be prepared for a few minor changes to the canon story for the sake of plot convenience in the coming chapters.**


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm going to clear up a few things before I continue:**

 **If you're looking for a deep, philosophical story about existentialism and whatnot, stop right here. This is basically a fever dream of mine where Guts just fucks shit up in the Eva world, and it probably won't get much more complex than that.**

 **There probably won't be any ships, at least with the Eva characters.**

 **Things from the original Eva story may be changed for plot convenience.**

 **This is Black Swordsman Guts, before he formed his new squad and all that.**

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

* * *

"I didn't expect to see an Angel here. This isn't part of the plan, is it?"

Kaji talked rather nonchalantly into the phone in his room aboard the Over the Rainbow, where outside all hell was breaking loose. He peeled open the blinds to one of the portholes and looked out of it, seeing a massive wave that moved far too unnaturally darting around the carrier battlegroup. The sounds of the batteries sending off round after round hammered his ears and shook the entire cabin, and plumes of smoke could be seen off in the distance from ships that were unlucky enough to have taken a direct impact from the mysterious entity. Kaji was rather disappointed, honestly; he was having the time of his life "catching up" with Misato.

"An attack such as this is specifically the reason you have Unit 02 with you," another indifferent voice replied on the other end of the line, "and I've graciously given you a second pilot as a reserve. Besides, if worst comes to worst, you know you can escape on your own, right?"

Kaji put down the binoculars he was using to look out into the Pacific and sighed slightly.

"Yeah, I know that."

"Anfang der Bewegung. Anfang des Nervenanschlusses. Auslösen von Linksneigung."

The pilot of Unit 02, Asuka Langley Sohryu, spoke inside of her Entry Plug. Asuka was ecstatic to hear that an Angel was attacking them, as this would be the perfect time to show off her, in her opinion, amazing piloting skills to the Third Child who was also crammed into the cockpit with the fiery redhead. Shinji was a little cute, she admitted to herself, but his personality was about as tasteful as a glass of tap water. Nevertheless, that forty percent sync ratio he had for his first time ever piloting an Evangelion both impressed and annoyed her. Asuka spent years training to pilot, and here comes this kid doing things the Second Child could only dream of when she was first starting out. 'Whatever. It's not like I care what his sync ratios are or that he's killed three Angels or anything.'

"Synchro, start!" Asuka called out and the Entry Plug filled up with LCL and began to flash through various patterns. All was going well, until everything went dark and a glowing red error sign surrounded the pilots.

"Program error! What happened?" Shinji called out from his position behind Asuka. It was rather cramped in the Entry Plug, Shinji thought to himself, as he was only centimeters away from Asuka. It didn't help that he was forced to put on a plug suit that was one size too small and obviously created for a member of the opposite sex. 'This is humiliating.'

"There's too much thought noise, stupid!" Asuka shouted back to him. "Try thinking in German!" Shinji gulped and looked up at the curved ceiling of the Entry Plug, trying to recite what limited German he knew, which was basically anything he heard Asuka say in the short time he met her.

"Uh...Der von des —"

"Ugh, forget it!" Asuka shouted aggressively, rudely interrupting Shinji's thought process. "I'll just switch the language to basic Japanese. Happy, Third?"

'She's rather feisty,' Shinji thought to himself, his eyes staring at the back of Asuka's head and taking in those long, gorgeous, silky smooth orange locks of hers. 'Oh well. At least she's attractive.'

The Entry Plug once again flashed through various patterns, this time without a hitch in the system. Asuka crinkled her brow and leaned forward slightly, getting her body ready for the ensuing fight.

"Unit 02, activate!" At Asuka's command the giant mech slowly began to rise, its massive red body still cloaked by the tarp being used to conceal it during its transportation to Japan.

"No! Abort the activation sequence!"

"Don't listen to him, Asuka! Go for it!"

"What are you doing!? Eva and its pilot are under our control!"

"What are you talking about!? This is an emergency!"

The sounds of Misato and the captain arguing over the loudspeakers carried over the two pilots.

"You do know Unit 02 is still using the B-type equipment, right? If we fall into the ocean, we'll sink like a rock!"

"Yes, but if we don't fall in we'll be fine, alright?" Asuka argued back. She was starting to get a little cranky and just wanted to jump off this ship and kill the Angel.

The Angel, Gaghiel, suddenly shifted course underwater and began to charge directly at the ship holding Unit 02, the waves its movements created spraying seawater everywhere and nearly tipping some of the smaller vessels over because of how fast it was moving.

"Here it comes!" Shinji said a tad nervously. Despite having three confirmed Angel kills under his belt, the sight and thought of fighting them still scared the Third Child. Asuka caught the small crack in his voice and shook her head slightly, starting to question that forty percent sync ratio.

"Launching!" Asuka called out and jumped off of the ship. Gaghiel careened into the spot where Unit 02 was standing only a second earlier, splitting the ship in two and sending debris flying in all directions. Asuka shifted the trajectory of her Eva mid-air and landed on another destroyer nearby, her eyes frantically scanning the waters for her enemy. The now tattered tarp still clung to the Eva's body like a cape.

"Where is it?"

"That way!" Shinji answered, pointing to Asuka's left. The Second Child wanted to go directly towards the Angel, but there was a bigger issue at hand.

"We only have 58 seconds of power!" Asuka heard her copilot yell behind her.

"I know that! Misato, get the external power supply socket onto the flight deck!"

"I'm on it!" she heard the purple-haired woman call out. Asuka's attention reverted back to Gaghiel, which was charging at them from underwater once again. "Hang on, Third! We're gonna jump!"

"Jump?" Shinji repeated, before he suddenly felt his stomach rise up into his throat as Asuka threw the tarp away and began to hop from ship to ship to reach the power cord. The threat of Gaghiel's presence took a back seat momentarily to Asuka's rather reckless piloting. 'I'm going to be sick,' Shinji thought to himself.

"The power socket is in place! The deck is ready for Eva landing!" Everyone on board braced for impact as Asuka landed on the carrier. Despite the vessel's massive size, the sheer weight of Unit 02 still sent almost all of its fighter jets overboard and nearly capsized the ship itself.

"This is ridiculous," the captain muttered, picking himself off of the floor. The amount of money all of this would cost was already making the seafaring man sweat. That, or the fact that a giant monster was trying to kill them all. Misato and Kensuke, who had his one eye glued to his video camera, slowly lifted their heads out the window, and Toji lay face down on the floor, a bruise on his cheek from Misato's elbow.

Despite the speed that Asuka jumped at, Gaghiel never let up and was closing in fast. "It's coming in at nine o'clock!" she heard Shinji exclaim. The redhead quickly kneeled and moved Unit 02's arm behind her and found the socket, inserting it into the back of the Evangelion.

"Switch to external power complete!" Asuka said. The Eva stood back up and turned to face its enemy, which was still darting around underwater.

"How are we going to fight," asked Shinj, "we don't have any weapons."

"No worries. The progressive knife should be enough," Asuka replied. A compartment in Unit 02's left shoulder opened and the hilt of a knife slid out. Asuka grabbed the knife with the Eva's right hand, thrust both arms outwards, and flipped the blade open. As Asuka braced herself and her Evangelion, the blade began to glow a faint pink.

As Gaghiel swam closer with alarming speed it poked its head out of the water, giving the two pilots their first good look at what they were up against. It was tan in color and had a large, long mouth that no doubt held rows of razor sharp teeth. Even though its head was the only part of its body exposed, there was no doubt that Gaghiel was a large Angel and dwarfed Unit 02 with ease.

"It's huge," Shinji said more to himself than to Asuka. The redhead had to agree with the Third Child. The only option for dealing with a head-on attack from Gaghiel, like what was going to happen right now, would be to dodge. Unfortunately for Asuka she could do no such thing, as there were no more ships in the vicinity she could safely jump on. Even if there were, Misato and everyone else were still onboard, and Gaghiel would no doubt effortlessly destroy the carrier if nothing was done to stop the Angel.

"Brace yourselves!" Asuka called out. Her warning came just in time, as Gaghiel suddenly jumped out of the water and dove onto Unit 02, rocking the aircraft carrier and sending even more planes and debris up into the air and into the ocean.

The damage would have been far more severe, however, had Asuka not grabbed Gaghiel at the last moment and moved him just shy of the control tower where everyone was currently taking shelter. Her progressive knife, during the impact, managed to escape from her grip and was currently embedded on the flight deck on the other side of the Angel.

"Scheisse," Asuka grunted, straining her body to keep the monstrous Angel at bay. Suddenly, as Gaghiel was slowly pushing Unit 02 back, its foot stepped on one of the jet lifts and caved in under the weight, causing Asuka, Shinji, and the Angel to fall into the ocean.

"Asuka!" Misato called out, "it's impossible to fight underwater with B-type equipment!"

"You'll never know unless you try!" was Asuka's reply, but she wasn't putting up much of a fight at the moment. Gaghiel had the Eva in its mouth and was currently dragging it through the underwater ruins of an old pre-Impact city.

"How much cable is left?" Misato asked, glancing at the giant spool of wire that gave power to Unit 02 unwinding rapidly.

"About another 1200 meters," was the answer. Those 1200 meters didn't last long, and Misato quickly warned everyone to prepare for the shock. The cable went taught and simultaneously rocked the ship and freed Unit 02 from Gaghiel. As the submerged Eva helplessly drifted in the deep waters, Gaghiel started to turn itself around to launch another strike.

"Oh my God! A Yak 38 Custom!"

Kensuke's cry of amazement drew Misato's attention away from the ocean where Unit 02 and Gaghiel resided and to the flight deck. One of the last operational lifts on the Over the Rainbow slowly brought up a blue jet. Inside that blue jet was none other than Kaji.

"Hey! Katsuragi!" he called out from the copilot's cockpit.

"Kaji!" Misato smiled and leaned out the window of the control tower, which had subsequently lost all of its glass after Gaghiel crashed into Unit 02. Misato was, for a change, glad to see her ex-lover, as he would hopefully be able to help her get Asuka and Shinji out of their current predicament.

At least, that's what she thought.

Kaji flipped the visor on his helmet up and looked at Misato, flashing her a sheepish grin. "I've got something to deliver, so I'll be taking off now."

Flabbergasted, Misato watched as Kaji's jet took off from the deck and started flying God knows where. Misato stared into the horizon where the jet disappeared off into for some time, her mind still processing what happened. Toji, standing right next to her, was equally floored.

"He ran away. I don't believe it."

"Dammit," Asuka yelled, her knuckles going white underneath her plug suit gloves from gripping the control sticks too hard. She yanked the yokes frantically in every direction possible, but nothing would make the Eva respond. "Why won't anything work!?"

"It's because this is B-type equipment." Shinji said wearily, doubting what Misato warned Asuka about earlier stayed between her ears.

"What are we going to do!?" Asuka looked back and asked, panic evident on her face. Shinji just sighed; there wasn't much someone who was crammed in the back of an Entry Plug could do."You're the Third Child, aren't you? Do something!" Shinji was going to retort, but seeing Gaghiel start to charge them again became a much more pressing matter.

"Here it comes!" the Third Child yelled. Both he and Asuka squeezed their eyes shut and braced for the weight of the Angel to barrel into them, but it never came.

"Huh?" Asuka murmured, opening one eye slowly to see out into the deep blue abyss. Gaghiel had suddenly stopped moving just short of Unit 02 and was twisting and moving in weird ways and making strange noises.

"W-what's happening?" Asuka asked, but Shinji was just as clueless as the Second Child. Suddenly, Gaghiel let loose a strained roar and started to balloon in size, and Shinji's prior combat experience told him immediately what was about to happen.

Before Shinji could move to do anything, Gaghiel reached its limit and burst like a nuclear balloon. Seawater and Unit 02 and Angel guts were sprayed into the sky hundreds of meters up, and some of the ships that were unfortunate enough to be near the explosion capsized due to the massive waves generated by the shockwaves. Unit 02 did a good job shielding the pilots' bodies from most of the extreme trauma from the blast, but it still felt like the most wildest, dangerous roller coaster either had been on in their lives. Gravity eventually began to work its magic, and the Evangelion started plummeting back down to Earth with its two shrieking pilots before safely falling into the ocean near the carrier battlegroup.

"What the hell was that!? Asuka, Shinji! Are you two OK!?" Misato frantically called into the radio. While the Over the Rainbow was a decent ways away from Gaghiel's violent death, the carrier was still rocked slightly and the explosion was very visible. There was nothing but static for a few seconds, but eventually the sounds of someone trying to retain their lunch reached Misato's ears.

"Yeah, we're fine," Asuka groaned, "but I've practically gone deaf thanks to the Third Child!"

"Hey! You were screaming louder than I was!"

Misato sighed happily and fell back into one of the swivel chairs in the control tower; Shinji and Asuka bickering meant everything was alright. "Hold tight, you two. We're sending in a crew right now to pick Unit 02 up."

A dinghy detached itself from the Over the Rainbow and made its way out to the middle of the ocean where Unit 02 was floating. A larger vessel with a crane to load the Evangelion followed suit. Asuka ejected the Entry Plug and stepped out onto the small boat, taking a whiff of the fresh salty air and letting her hair flow in the breeze. Shinji crawled out behind the redhead and took a seat on the boat on the opposite side of her. As Shinji stretched himself out, thankful to finally be able to properly move his limbs again, he caught the strange look the operator of their dinghy was giving him.

"...What?" Shinji asked, before noticing the man was looking at his body, or rather what was _on_ his body. Shinji looked down and cried out, remembering that he was still wearing the plugsuit Asuka gave him. "Agh! No! It's not what it looks like!"

Asuka laughed so hard her sides hurt as Shinji tried his best to explain why he was wearing a skintight suit obviously intended for a girl.

"Yeah, Shinji, why _are_ you wearing a girl's plugsuit?"

Shinji shot Asuka a cold glare, but it only made the Second Child laugh harder.

The tiny boat pulled away from Unit 02 to give room for the crane to extract it and slowly moved across the waves and back to the over the Rainbow.

The driver and Asuka both soon forgot about Shinji's unfortunate dress situation and the poor Third Child be. Shinji and Asuka didn't say or do much for a little while, each simply looking out over their respective sides of the boat and throwing an occasional awkward glance at the other when they thought they weren't looking.

Shinji let his fingers drag through the water as the boat moved, enjoying the cool, wet sensation. As he looked out into the ocean, a glare caught his eye about a dozen meters out on his side. Shinji focused on the object of interest and saw a large, tattered piece of black cloth and a piece of shiny metal poking out from underneath it. The metal looked too well-polished for it to have come off of the hull of a ship, and Shinji had no idea what the cloth would be used for. Neither the driver or Asuka seemed to notice what he was staring at, and as the boat made its way closer Shinji cleared his throat and pointed out towards the strange entity.

"Hey, what's that?" Shinji asked the driver. The man followed Shinji's finger and squinted, trying his best to get a good look at the cloth and metal. Her interest piqued, Asuka stood up and walked over to Shinji and leaned over the side to get a good look herself.

"What do you mean, 'what's that?'?" Asuka straightened herself up and crossed her arms. "It's just some debris from one of the ships. This entire place is littered with that crap, Dummkopf."

Shinji ignored Asuka's insult and shook his head. "No, I don't think it's from a ship. Look, the metal is too shiny, and what would they use that cloth for?"

"So you're saying I'm wrong?" Asuka said in an offended tone, getting in Shinji's face. "It's from a ship. There is no way it could be anything—"

"Ahem," the boat driver interjected, "I can just drive us over there if you're really interested in knowing. I really don't feel like listening to two kids yell at each other right now." Shinji and Asuka gave each other glares before nodding at the driver. The dinghy diverted course slightly and moved towards its new target. The boat slowly parked up alongside the piece of cloth, and as Shinji and Asuka both looked down into the water Asuka's victory speech died on her tongue.

"See! I told you it was a…"

Well, it was most definitely not a piece of a ship.

"...It-it looks like a, like a hilt to a sword," Shinji said, confusion etched on his face. That wouldn't make any sense, though. Why would a sword be floating around in the middle of the ocean? Unless it was a decorative piece for a captain's quarters from one of the destroyed vessels, and the cloth was simply wrapped around it for protection.

Asuka tried to lift up the cloth to see underneath, but found it was attached tightly to whatever was below the hilt and was too tough to tear. The redhead then reached down to grab onto the hilt to lift it up, but to her astonishment she couldn't lift the blade out of the water at all. "Come on you stupid, little..!" As Asuka strained herself to lift the mysterious object her grip slipped, causing the hilt to disappear underneath the water. "Dammit, Third!" she looked up from the water and at Shinji accusingly, "why didn't you help me!?"

"W-well, you never asked me—" Anything Shinji had on his mind to combat Asuka's wrath died when he noticed some bubbling from where the mysterious hilt and cloth previously floated. A large, shadowed object could be seen just below the surface, and when "it" broke through the water Shinji let out a loud gasp.

"What!?" Asuka asked, annoyed, as she turned to look back at the spot where Shinji was staring at. "What could you possibly — Oh mein Gott!"

A man was floating on his back where the hilt and cloth once were. He was unconscious, but alive; his chest calmly and rhythmically moved up and down as he breathed. Asuka gained her senses back first and leaned over and grabbed one of his arms out of the water. Realizing that the man was much heavier than anything Asuka would be able to lift, she looked up at both Shinji and the boat operator, who were frozen like a deer in headlights. "Well!? Don't just stand there you two! Help me!"

The Second Child's words snapped the men out of their stupor and they both moved to help. Asuka turned the man sideways in the water and Shinji grabbed the man's other arm while the operator grabbed his legs. On Asuka's command all three of them, with every ounce of strength they had combined, dragged the man up over the side of the boat and onto the deck. Thankfully the dinghy was constructed for carrying heavy loads, or else it surely would have capsized under all the extra weight of the man.

"Jesus Christ! How much does this guy weigh?" the boat operator exclaimed, hands on his knees as he struggled to catch his breath. Shinji and Asuka, who were also out of air, simply nodded as they sat down and got their first good look at their mysterious new passenger.

He was massive. He had to be at least six feet, and his body had more muscle on it than seemingly possible for a human being. His face was handsome and chiseled with a sharp jawline, large lips, and numerous small scars. The man's hair was short and spiky, with a few strands hanging just above his forehead like a crew cut. Of course, it wasn't his body that garnered most of the attention.

It was all of the stuff on it.

Black plate armor adorned his torso and shoulders, with matching black pants and boots. A sash ran across his chest with small knives stashed inside of them, and a belt around his waist stored a larger knife, a codpiece, and some other supplies. The most striking characteristics about what he wore, however, were the black cloak and metal hand on his left arm.

"No wonder he was so heavy," Asuka said, getting down on her knees to get a better look at the man. "He looks like someone straight out of a medieval fantasy comic, what with all this gear on him." The redhead knocked on the man's chest, the hollow sound of pounding metal reaching her ears. "This is all solid iron. How the hell can someone walk around with this stuff!?"

"Hey! It's the hilt!" Shinji called out, also getting down onto his knees by the man's head and grasping the linen-wrapped metal. They couldn't see any further than that because he was on his back with a cloak and all, and there was no more room on the dinghy to flip him on his stomach. As the two pilots squabbled over the man's body, the operator, who was standing over the three of them, interjected.

"I think the main thing we should all be concerned about here is where this mysterious person came from. It's not every day you see some medieval knight floating in the Pacific Ocean."

Shinji and Asuka looked up at the operator, then at each other, and nodded. This would have to be reported to Misato and NERV immediately. No one on the boat had any idea how the man ended up in the middle of a carrier battlegroup during an Angel attack, but MAGI could probably figure it out. Also, it wasn't like they could hide him anyways.

"Right," Shinji said, "we'll tell Misato about this immediately." With that the driver got behind the wheel of the dinghy and gunned it back to the Over the Rainbow.

* * *

 **I have mixed feelings about these first two chapters. I rushed them, I know I did, but only because I want to get to the parts with Guts actually interacting with everyone and doing shit. Things may seem forced/awkward now, but hopefully as I go on my ability to write gets better. Anyways, Guts may or may not do something next chapter. I don't know, it depends how much I want to write.**


	3. Chapter 3

**This is hopefully the last buildup chapter before Guts starts to integrate himself into the story.**

 **I'm not going to lie, I really do not like writing dialogue between the Eva characters. Writing in "filler dialogue" like a lot of other people do to flesh the characters out more and make them feel more alive and human is something I suck at. It's partly out of my inability to right dialogue between characters properly, but mostly because I'm lazy and rush my writing and don't sit down and plan out what I want to put down.**

 **One last thing. Guts is going to be very prominent after this because it is his story, so don't expect to see a whole lot of time spent with just Misato, Shinji, Asuka, Rei, etc.**

 **I do not own Evangelion or Berserk. It only took me three chapters to realize I forgot to add that.**

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

* * *

"What the hell is this!?"

Those were the first words to come out of Misato's mouth when she stepped out onto the flight deck of the Over the Rainbow. Misato sprinted down from the control tower when she was told that Asuka and Shinji had returned from their battle; she wanted to congratulate both of them for efficiently killing an Angel and saving the lives of everyone in the control tower. The purple-haired woman worked up a victory speech in her mind as she bounced gleefully down the steps, and she even told herself that she wouldn't be cheap for once in her life and treat the young pilots to a dinner of their liking.

That all changed when she saw the unconscious man lying on his back between them.

'Why the hell can't anything normal happen on any of these missions?' Misato inwardly groaned. "Okay, could someone please enlighten me as to why there were only two of you when you left, but now when you come back there's a third person who looks like he belongs at a cosplay convention or something?" Misato didn't raise her voice, but the confusion and agitation was plainly evident on her face.

"We found him after we got picked up from Unit 02," Asuka began to explain. "He was just floating out in the middle of the ocean with all the other debris from the ships. Third spotted him, and once we rolled up it took every ounce of strength from me, Third, and our boat operator to drag him out of the water. And now — Here we are."

Misato took a moment to process Asuka's answer and turned her head to look at Shinji, as if she needed someone else to confirm what the redhead said was true and that it wasn't just the excitement of battle going to her head. "Everything she said is true," Shinji answered Misato's silent question.

"That still doesn't explain how he got here in the first place," Misato said. The two pilots shrugged; they were just as clueless as she was. Misato started to idly twirl her purple hair while trying to think up a reason as to why this strange man was found floating around in the dead center of a carrier battlegroup. Shinji and Asuka remained standing on either side of the man and looked at Misato, expectant of an answer.

"What if he's a spy? He could easily be faking all of this and just trying to play victim so he can eavesdrop on conversation and—"

"I don't know any spy that would dress up like this," Asuka interrupted, pressing a foot against the man's armored ribs. "Any spy with half a brain would dress up like one of the crew members here to try and blend in, not some medieval knight. This guy is about as inconspicuous as the damn sun." Misato slowly nodded her head in agreement, tossing that theory out the window.

"Woah! Is that a person?" The loud, enthusiastic voice of Kensuke suddenly made itself known on the deck, an ever stoic Toji following close behind with his hands in his pockets and looking like he didn't have a care in the world. It was all a ruse, Shinji could plainly see the spark of curiosity in his friend's eyes.

"This guy is huge! Where'd you find him? What's all this gear he's wearing? Is that a metal arm!?" Kensuke shoved his camera right up against the man's body, as if trying to document every pore in his skin and every crack in his armor. The military geek picked up the man's prosthetic hand with one hand and filmed with the other, trying to get a good angle. Distracted by his work and constant blabbering to himself, Kensuke failed to notice Asuka creeping up beside him until her foot solidly connected with his side, sending him sprawling away from the man.

"Dummkopf!" Asuka berated, towering over a fearful Kensuke, "don't manhandle people like that! It's rude!"

'Like you're one to talk,' Shinji, standing next to Misato, deadpanned as he watched the redhead tear into his friend. Toji ignored Asuka's tirade and the look Kensuke shot him that begged for liberation and walked up next to Shinji, his gaze locked onto the man.

"That's one big dude," Toji said. Both Shinji and Misato nodded their agreements. "He must have been quite the pain in the ass to get onto that tiny boat."

"You have no idea," Shinji chuckled lightly. "It took three people just to get him out of the water, and then another two to carry him up here safely." Toji whistled at that.

"What's all this stuff he's wearing? Is he going to go fight the King of England or something?" Toji gestured towards the personal armory the man was wearing. The hilt of the sword was visible behind his head, but the cloak was still covering the rest of it. Shinji shrugged.

"No clue. We don't even know where he came from. We just found him after the battle."

"Maybe he's the Angel's true form or something," Toji joked. Shinji and Misato both shared a small laugh, but soon Misato had strangely gone silent, lost in her thoughts.

'The Angel's true form, huh? It sounds ridiculous, but it honestly could be a viable explanation. We know so little about the Angels, and this guy apparently didn't show up until after the last one was taken down by Shinji and Asuka. We better start heading back to Japan and get this guy checked out before...'

A small groan of pain broke Misato's thoughts. Toji and Shinji had been carrying on idle conversation, and Asuka was still yelling at Kensuke, but they too stopped what they were doing and turned to face the source of the noise: the man.

It started small, like someone complaining of stomach pain after a bad dinner. But, progressively, the man became more loud and violent, thrashing around while still seemingly unconscious.

"Toji!" Misato yelled, springing into action. She had witnessed people having these violent fits in the past, "Go find some medical personnel and get them out here as soon as you can! Make sure they bring sedatives! The rest of you kids, help me restrain him!"

With his orders given, Toji ran off into the ship while the rest formed a circle around the now screaming man. His limbs were flailing wildly in all directions, and his back was arched up into the sky as his convulsions continued to escalate.

"Shinji and Kensuke, go for his arms!" Misato yelled as loud as she could. "Asuka, help me with his legs!"

All four of them slowly moved into position. They were all nervous, and rightfully so; restraining anyone who had no control of their body was no easy task, and judging by the man's incredibly built physique things would only be more dangerous.

Shinji, on the left side, gulped and slowly reached out to grab the man's metal forearm to pin it, but pulled back at the last second. Just in time, too, because right as the Third Child retreated the man's unconsciously-formed fist crashed onto the flight deck, leaving a sizeable indent in the metal and creating a tremor that all four of them felt.

"Jesus Christ!" Misato cried out in alarm, following in Shinji's footsteps and putting some distance between herself and the thrashing body in front of her. Asuka and Kensuke followed suit. "Did he just put a fucking hole in the ground!?"

Shinji said nothing; he simply stared at the indent. The Third Child shivered; God knows what would have happened to him if the man's fist had connected with his body.

"What the hell do we do, Misato!?" Asuka yelled at the purple-haired woman. The Second Child's ability to take on perilous, horrific feats such as killing Angels was only thanks to her beloved Unit 02. Without her Eva, she felt powerless. Misato didn't acknowledge the redhead; she simply stared at the man. He continued to flail around, a new hole forming on the flight deck each time one of his fists or feet came in contact with it. The metal arm was especially devastating, and each hit sounded like a sledgehammer strike.

'No human being should be able to possess that kind of strength. Toji...You may actually be onto something…' A sickening crunch brought Misato out of her thoughts. The man's fingers on his real hand were bent at incredibly grotesque angles from taking too much abuse. 'We need to stop him now, before anymore damage is done to his body. Where the hell is Toji!?' Just then, the jock came bursting out onto the flight deck, breathless — With a medical team in tow.

The team wasted no time getting to work. "Give me the tranquilizer!" one of the medics, most-likely the head of the squad, called out. Another medic nodded and set a metal suitcase down on the ground and handed him an air rifle along with a long, red dart. The medic grabbed rifle and loaded the dart into the barrel, pumped it, and took aim.

"You can't sedate a human with a fucking tranquilizer gun!" Asuka screamed at the medic. "Those things are meant for elephants!"

"Shut up, girl!" the medic yelled back. "We heard this guy pounding on the flight deck from several floors below! It's too dangerous to go in close to him while he's like this! This is the only reasonable option without seriously risking killing him!" Not waiting for Asuka's retort, the medic pulled the trigger and stuck the dart in the nape of the man's neck.

His motions became less sporadic, and the ear-shattering screaming lessened to a loud groan; however, to everyone's astonishment, the man wasn't completely knocked out by the tranquilizer.

"What is this guy?" Shinji said, mouth open. To his right, Kensuke had his camera rolling, a giddy smile plastered on his face.

"First an Evangelion battle with an Angel, and now this! Shinji my man, thank you so much for bringing me here today. These shots are going to be seen on every message board on the Internet!"

The second dart was fired, this time embedding itself in the man's arm. At last, his body went limp and silence swept across the flight deck, save for the wind and the occasional squawk of a seagull. Everyone let out a breath they didn't know they were holding.

The medical team wasted no time, quickly closing in on the downed man. They placed heavy shackles on his wrists and ankles, and for good measure a little more sedatives were injected into his system to ensure the man would not be waking up any time soon.

"Strip him of his weapons," the lead medic commanded. They removed his belt and sash of knives, haphazardly tossing them into a pile nearby. With the undoing of a couple old-fashioned bolts the man's iron hand was taken from his body, a scarred stump in its place.

"Huh, so it really was a prosthetic," Shinji heard Kensuke say more to himself than anyone else. His one eye was still glued to the camcorder. The medic holding the fake hand turned the piece of iron over in his arms, inspecting the strange gadget. He reached inside of it, and with an accidental press of a switch a miniature repeating crossbow popped out the top. A surprised "Holy shit!" escaped the medic's lips. He continued feeling around inside until he felt another switch; activating it, the hand unhinged at the wrist, revealing the barrel of a cannon.

"This guy's ready to start his own damned war," the medic exclaimed. Everyone on the flight deck gathered around, pushing and shoving until a small circle was formed so that each person got a good look at the contraption.

"This is so frickin' cool!" Kensuke spoke gleefully. Out of the corner of his eye that wasn't on his camera, the military geek took notice of the hilt of the mysterious sword behind the man's head that was sheathed by the black cloak. "Hey, what about his sword?"

Oh yeah, his sword. The group had been so preoccupied by the fake hand that they somehow forgot about the most intriguing part of the man's body. The lead medic broke from the circle and moved back over to the man. Quickly realizing that he would not be rolling the man onto his stomach alone any time soon, he beckoned for help from the others. After a good amount of physical exertion, the man's back was facing the sky. With a knife in his right hand, the medic tore into the thick fabric of the cloak to reveal the goods underneath.

"Dude's gonna be pissed when he wakes up and finds his cloak in tatters," Toji commented, arms crossed. The medic paid the jock no mind.

"This man should be thankful to us," the medic said aloud, still cutting. The material the cloak was made out of was certainly durable. "This man most likely would have seriously injured or even killed himself had we not arrived. The last thing he should be concerned about is a large piece of cloth."

The knife hit its mark soon enough. The medic put the knife aside and grabbed onto the cloak, slowly peeling it off of the man's back. What was underneath was quite the shocker to everyone — Even more-so than the hand.

"Mein Gott, _that's_ a sword!?"

Kensuke practically peed himself, Toji whistled, and Misato and Shinji simply stared wide-eyed at the massive slab that was draped across the man's back.

No, it was too big to be called a sword. The blade itself was taller than anyone on the flight deck, and it was as wide as a forearm measured from wrist to elbow. It was also very crude looking; just some big hunk of metal that was smithed down to resemble something of an ordinary sword. Regardless, it was pretty damn intimidating.

Asuka got down on her knees and let her eyes scan the blade. Behind her, Kensuke was squealing like a child on Christmas morning.

"Shut it, Stooge! I want to see something!" The redhead's outburst silenced Kensuke momentarily. Asuka moved her hand over the blade, feeling its rough surface through her plugsuit gloves. She rapped on it with her knuckles, the sound of solid iron greeting her ears.

"This thing is just one big slab of iron!" Asuka exclaimed. Coupled with its size and material, the sword had to weigh at least a few hundred pounds. "How the hell can someone walk with this thing on their back, let alone use it!?"

"After seeing the damage he caused with his bare hands, I wouldn't really put it behind me." Misato, along with everyone else, had gathered around the man. 'This guy is becoming more of an enigma by the minute; also, by the looks of his little personal armory, a threat.' Toji's little theory once again entered the Major's mind.

"Get this thing off of his back and detain him," Misato barked out orders, "and don't let him leave your sights until we dock in Japan." The medical team complied and moved to pick the sword off the man's body. It was no easy feat, however, as it took the entire squad to lift.

"No wonder he was so heavy," Shinji said to himself. He watched as the medics set the man's sword down, stripped his armor off, and then dragged him from underneath his arms down under the Over the Rainbow.

Once the medical team was out of their sights, Misato faced the children. "We're going to keep him held up in the containment cells down below, and once we're back in Japan he'll be transferred over to NERV for interrogation. Everything you guys just witnessed was top-secret. I do _not_ want to hear a peep out of anyone about this. Understood?"

The kids nodded. Misato sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. They would be back in Japan by tomorrow; she could have just taken a helicopter back, but the purple-haired woman did _not_ want to leave that man alone without some level-headed authority around.

"Alright, if that's the case, then I'm going to take a shower." With that Misato turned on her heels and retreated into the ship, leaving Shinji, Asuka, Toji, and Kensuke alone on the ship.

"That was quite the show," Toji mused, idly scuffing his foot against the flight deck. The other three had to agree with him.

"What's NERV going to do with him when we get back?" Shinji asked.

"Use what little brain you have, Dummkopf," Asuka berated Shinji. "It's obvious that he's going to be locked up and interrogated. If I was the leader of a super secret organization that's sole purpose is to prevent mankind's extinction, and some freakishly strong man suddenly appeared from the ocean after an Angel attack, then I'd be pretty damn paranoid, too. I'll be amazed if he isn't executed by next week."

"That's pretty harsh," Kensuke said, his hands preoccupied with removing the disk from his camera. "I'd love to stay and chat, but I've got some files to upload!" And thus Kensuke, with the look of a child on Christmas morning in his eyes, practically skipped away to find a computer so that he could share his combat footage with the world.

"That kid's a freak," Asuka muttered. Shinji shot Asuka a look. She was attractive, and a pretty good pilot, but it wouldn't kill her to show some common decency to other people.

"He's not that bad," Shinji tried to defend his friend, "he just gets a little excited over anything military-related."

"Says the guy wearing a bright red, _girl_ suit." Toji smirked as Shinji's face matched the color of his plugsuit. Asuka covered her mouth to try and hide a snicker, but it failed miserably."

"It wasn't my decision!"

The Next Day - NERV HQ

He awoke with a start. His breathing was heavy and labored, and sweat dripped from his body. The last thing he could remember was floating in something dark, something warm. It was silent, but it was a calm, soothing kind of silence that enveloped him like a blanket. He remembered feeling free, like a chain had been removed from his mind and all his struggles were washed away.

There was also a small, red light off in the distance of the vast blackness he was drifting through. He had no idea what it was, but it gave off this vibe that felt very...Familiar. He moved towards the light, and slowly it became brighter, and slowly he could start to make out its spherical shape. He slowly extended his right arm once he was within reach of the glowing red orb; the comforting heat radiated against his fingers.

He made contact. It was a mistake. The sphere shattered into countless shards, sucking the warmth away from him violently. He gasped and grasped desperately at the nothingness around him, trying to gain back any of the lost heat he craved. He felt immense pressure press down on his body, like he was being squashed by a stampeding herd of elephants. There was then a feeling of something cool and wet covering his body, before once again a void consumed him.

He brought himself out of his thoughts. He tried to move his limbs, but found that they were tightly bound to the rather solid chair he was strapped to. His mouth was gagged, his eyes blindfolded, and the cold air assaulting his body told him that he was naked and unarmed. He began to shift his body weight and rock side-to-side, trying to break free.

"That'll be enough." A deep, commanding voice cut into the silence of the room. He stopped his escape instantly; having been captured before, he knew it was wisest to play along with his captor's games until an opportunity presented itself.

"You've caused quite the commotion here," the voice spoke again. "I have some questions. Do you have some answers?" He nodded wordlessly. "Good. Now, I'm going to remove the gag and blindfold, but do not speak unless you are told to. Also, don't try to lie — We'll know if you do."

He heard footsteps from behind and felt a pair of hands working at the knots of the rags covering his eye and mouth. The blindfold was removed first, and he had to squint to allow his one eye adjust to light that he hadn't seen in what must have been days. When he could properly see, he did a full scan of the room he was being held on.

It was certainly a room unlike anything he'd ever been in before. The floors, walls, and ceiling were all the same dull white. There were no windows, but the room was still unnaturally bright without a single candle to be seen. Two pieces of metal came together in the corner, which he could only guess was the door.

Several people were in the room with him. A man with glasses whom he assumed owned that booming voice from earlier sat in a chair opposite of him. Behind that man stood three children and a woman with long purple hair. There was also the person standing behind him undoing the gag. Judging by the feel of their fingers against his neck, it was another woman. Everyone in the room wore such strange, alien clothes and their gazes were all directed right into his own. He didn't let his paranoia show, however, and kept a stoic face like he always did.

Finally the gag was removed. He swallowed, trying his best to remove the stale taste from his mouth. "Can you speak? What is your name? Do you even have one?" The man sitting just a few meters away from him asked with an icy tone.

"Yeah, I gotta name. Guts."


	4. Chapter 4

**I finished this about a month ago, so I'm sorry it took me until today to upload it. I haven't touched this story of mine since I finished this chapter, and I don't know when I'll find the motivation to continue. I started thinking about redoing it from Guts' perspective, as it would allow me to focus more on writing about him (whom I frankly find more interesting and fun to write than the Eva characters). Let me know what you guys think.**

 **I do not own Evangelion or Berserk.**

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

* * *

"Why are we going to NERV HQ? I didn't hear Misato say we had any tests scheduled for today." Shinji walked along with Asuka and Rei as the three pilots exited the school grounds. It had only been a day since their return to Japan, but already so much had happened. Asuka was living with Misato and Shinji — A surprise for both pilots and one Asuka blatantly protested against. Misato won out in the end, however, and the Second and Third were now roommates. The strange man they found after Gaghiel's untimely demise was detained at NERV, and from what Shinji had heard his father was overseeing him personally. This hit a sore spot with the Third Child, as his dad seemed to care more about some prisoner than his own damn son.

As soon as the final bell sounded Asuka grabbed both of her fellow Eva pilots and with nothing more than a "Let's go to NERV," led them in the direction of the top secret facility. Shinji and Rei really didn't have much of a choice in the matter, but neither fought Asuka for different reasons; Rei simply didn't care, at least she didn't seem to, and Shinji did not want to deal with the redhead's wrath.

"They're going to start interrogating that guy," Asuka answered, "and I don't want to miss a single second." The Second Child tried to hide it, but her curiosity towards the anomaly that was that man was at its tipping point.

"Are you certain that we have clearance to attend this interrogation?" Rei asked. Asuka shot the First Child a glare. After her failure to befriend Rei, Asuka put up a front against her and pretty much always spoke to the blue-haired pilot with open hostility. Not that anyone could tell apart from her usual tone of voice, anyways.

"Yes, doll, we do. I spoke to Misato about it this morning and she said we are welcome to watch." The rest of the trip to NERV was uneventful and quiet; not a word was spoken from any three pilots.

Interrogation Room - NERV HQ

After checking into the facility, Shinji, Asuka, and Rei made their way down the elevator to the designated floor of the room the interrogation was going to take place in. Asuka took point, leading Shinji and Rei down a series of whitewashed hallways until they arrived at a metal door that looked like all the other doors in NERV. The trio stood in front of the door for a few seconds before a hiss of air could be heard as the locks disengaged and opened to allow them to enter.

There were already three other people in the room, not including the still unconscious man who was currently gagged, blindfolded, and restrained while wearing nothing more than his underwear. Misato stood off in the corner of the room, leaning against the wall while making small talk with Ritsuko; the blonde woman seemed to be paying little attention to the conversation, however, because she was preoccupied with configuring the device that ran a series of wires from her computer to the man's head. As Shinji walked into the room behind the two girls, he froze when he saw his father, the commander of NERV, sitting in a chair opposite from the man and facing away from his son. Gendo had to have known his son was only meters away from him, but the cold-hearted man didn't even so much as glance in Shinji's general direction. Shinji recovered from his momentary shock to glare at the back of his father's head before joining Asuka and Rei on the wall directly behind the Commander.

"There is to be no talking from any of you during this interrogation," Ritsuko spoke up from behind the monitor of the computer. "I'm going to give him an electric shock to his brain. He'll be startled, but the restraints we have on him are more than enough to keep him at bay." The three pilots nodded in response, and without hesitation Ritsuko typed a command into the keyboard that made the man's body jolt violently before he suddenly came to, thrashing, sweating, and breathing hard. He strained himself against the restraints, growling and grunting with all his strength to break them.

"That's enough." Gendo Ikari's voice cut through the air like a butcher knife, and even though it wasn't directed towards him, Shinji still shivered a little. The man must have also heard the Commander's voice as well, as he almost instantly ceased his movements. He straightened up in his chair and took a couple deep breaths to try and calm himself down, before lifting his head up and turning it in the direction he heard the Commander. The man opened his mouth to say something, but Gendo beat him to it.

"There will be no talking unless I say otherwise, understand?" The man got the memo and shut his mouth. "Now, we're going to remove your gag and blindfold. I have some questions that I want answered, and that's where you come in. Also, don't try and lie to us; we'll know if you do." With a gesture of his head Gendo ordered Ritsuko to untie the rags covering the man's eyes and mouth. The blonde scientist walked behind the man and her fingers began to work at the knots of the blindfold. Once undone she slowly slipped the blindfold over the man's head, giving his eyes their first dosage of light in some time. He winced as the blinding lights from the room penetrated him, but quickly got over it. The man opened his left eye slowly, yet kept his right eye shut to the confusion of the room's occupants. His one eye scanned the room, locking on to each person to take in their features before moving on to the next. Shinji, Misato and Asuka visibly reacted, and even the stoic Rei and Gendo felt the hairs on their necks stiffen as the man's piercing gaze struck them. It was a gaze that was filled with anger, rage, hatred, and hostility.

The gag came off last, and the Commander allowed him to swallow before beginning the interrogation. This man was going to be tough to crack open, Gendo thought to himself, if that ice cold stare was anything to go by. The man looked at the Commander expectantly, for he too wanted to get started it seemed.

"Can you speak? Do you have a name?" That was the first question Gendo asked. Their eyes locked, and the man's deep, gravely voice was heard for the first time.

"Yeah, I gotta name. Guts." He spoke with indifference, as if being interrogated was routine for him.

'That's a dumb name,' Asuka thought.

The Commander reached down from his chair to pick up a manilla folder on the floor. Opening it, he read the contents aloud. "Mission report number E02531. May 17th, 2015. After unexpected Angel attack while aboard aircraft carrier Over the Rainbow, Evangelion pilots Shinji Ikari and Asuka Langley Sohryu successfully sortied and subdued the threat whilst maintaining minimum casualties."

'We destroyed half of the ships,' Shinji deadpanned, recalling Asuka's reckless piloting and how she used the vessels in the carrier battlegroup like stepping stones.

"After defeating the Angel," Gendo continued, "pilot Shinji Ikari noticed an unusual artifact drifting in the water. After closer examination, the artifact was pulled out of the water and onto land. The artifact revealed itself to be a young man in his early twenties, approximately six feet three inches in height, two hundred thirty pounds, and heavily armed." The Commander paused and looked up from his papers at Guts, seemingly expecting a reaction. Guts, however, remained as stoic as ever, his one cold eye locked on Gendo's.

Shinji's father looked back down at the folders and pulled out another piece of paper. "One set of full-body metal plate armor, one set of throwing knives, one dagger, one prosthetic metal hand outfitted with a miniature cannon and repeating crossbow, and one large iron sword that took three men to move."

Guts' eye twitched at that. He wasn't particularly fond of other people touching his gear. Gendo didn't take notice of this, however, and continued to read off of the papers.

"Feats of superhuman strength were also exhibited. Multiple holes were put through the flight deck of Over the Rainbow with bare fists, and two tranquilizer darts intended for use on large game were needed to subdue." That appeared to conclude the report, and Gendo closed the folder and placed it back on the floor. His full attention was returned to Guts. "Tell me, Guts, does any of this sound familiar to you? Are familiar with terminology such as Evangelion, Angels?"

"I know what an angel is, messengers from God and all that crap." Guts scoffed, as if the existence of angels and God himself was just some big joke to him. "No clue what an Evangelion is."

Gendo nodded. He turned to Ritsuko, whose eyes were glued to the monitor. She glanced up and gave the Commander a sharp nod, indicating Guts was telling the truth.

"Next question: how did you manage to find yourself stranded out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean? According to eyewitness reports we took from hundreds of staff who were on the scene of the Angel attack, nobody noticed a large man wearing medieval garments with a large sword on his back." The Commander didn't show it, but he was eagerly awaiting Guts' answer. The other occupants of the room were also waiting in anticipation. There were simulations done by the MAGI, but none could realistically explain how Guts ended up where he was found. His blood type was found to be orange during a screening when he first arrived at NERV, so Misato could rest at ease knowing that Toji's little theory was only a joke. Despite that, it still didn't explain where the swordsman came from.

"I… don't really know."

Ritsuko didn't react from behind the monitor, so he wasn't lying. "Think," Gendo pressed, "what was the last thing you remember before you woke up?" Guts' brows knitted together as he became lost in concentration. He tapped his foot rhythmically, the dull thumping echoing across the room. Everyone sat on the edge of their seats, metaphorically speaking. After a moment of silence, Guts spoke up.

"There… was nothing. I remember being stuck floating through this dark void. There was nothing to see, hear, smell, or grab on to. I did feel this heat, though. It wasn't overbearing, like an oven, but more like the warmth you get from wrapping yourself in a blanket on a cold winter night. It felt nice, so I just kinda floated around in nothing for a little. Didn't really think about much. Eventually, I saw this dim red light off in the distance. I was curious and all that, naturally, because it was the first thing I saw in what felt like forever, so I started to kind of swim towards it. As I got closer, it started to look get bigger and look like a ball, and I also got this strong prickling sensation on my neck." Guts didn't bother explaining that "sensation", as he felt that it would just drag the interrogation out longer than it already was and create more trouble for him.

Gendo took the opportunity to interject with another question. "You say you saw this large, red, glowing object, and it was in the shape of a sphere?" Guts nodded. Misato held her breath in the corner of the room, as she and everyone else had a good idea about what Guts was referring to. "Continue with what you were saying."

"Anyways, I keep moving towards this big red ball, and eventually I'm within arm's reach of it. I went to touch it, but as soon as I did it exploded and that nice, warm feeling I had earlier vanishes and I feel this immense weight and wetness on my body, almost like I was underwater or something."

Asuka, Shinji, and Misato's eyes all widened, while Gendo and Ritsuko kept a cool composure. They all now had a fairly decent guess on how Guts ended up in the ocean, but the Commander allowed the swordsman to finish his story.

"After that I felt weightless again, and then I felt like I was falling, and then I was wet again. It was almost as if I was…" Guts didn't finish his sentence, as Gendo did it for him.

"...Launched into the sky." Gendo picked up the manilla folder once more, digging around inside of it until he pulled out a photograph. He held his arm out to show it to Guts. Guts had never seen a photograph before, so inwardly he was impressed how such a detailed picture could fit on a small piece of paper, but he didn't let his emotions show. The swordsman squinted as he examined the photo.

The object of focus in the photo was gigantic, dwarfing the hills and buildings that surrounded it. Its body grotesquely resembled that of a human's, with a wide torso, narrow waist, and deformed arms and legs. The skin of the monster was a deep green, but parts of its body was covered by what looked like a white shell — including its bird-like face. A red orb that looked exactly like the one Guts described earlier sat in the middle of its chest. All in all the creature was unnerving to look at, and it eerily resembled the beasts that Guts had spent years slaying on a path for revenge. Guts ground his teeth and tried his best to block out the memories of _that_ person from his head. Nevertheless, he understood where his interrogator was leading him.

"It's got that same orb I saw in the darkness," Guts answered. Gendo nodded and set the folder on the ground once more.

"Yes, it is. This means that what you saw, what you touched, was the Angel's core. Now, you said that you know what an Angel is, but I believe that we are thinking of different kinds of angels. Those angels that are referenced in the bible, the ones you see in paintings and holy relics, are _not_ the ones I'm picturing in my head. That creature, that monster I showed you in the photograph, is the kind of Angels that we are dealing with. These Angels are here to destroy humanity, to initiate Third Impact. The one that NERV's pilots fought just days earlier had its core located inside of its body. So, with that information, one question remains: if you did indeed touch the core of this Angel, how did you manage to get inside of its body?"

Guts processed the Commander's words and sunk into deep thought. On top of trying to explain to this stone-faced man how he randomly appeared inside of an Angel, loads of other questions assaulted his brain. What was Third Impact? What were these things called "pilots"? What exactly was the core of an Angel? It hurt to think about, but Guts simply shrugged it all to the side for the moment; he would ask his own questions once he was done here.

As Guts continued to think, he came to the realization that he might as well spit out everything that happened to lead to him being strapped against a chair in his underwear. Judging by what he'd seen — the way these people dressed, talked, the room he was in — it was becoming increasingly more obvious that he was nowhere near Midland, or even his own world right now. Despite these radical thoughts, Guts remained calm, for he had an inkling suspicion as to what was the catalyst for all of this.

"You said that you'll know when or when I'm not telling the truth, right?" Guts asked Gendo. The man in question nodded without so much as a grunt. "I guess that saves me the trouble from having to convince you that what I'm about to say is true. I come from a place called Midland — A different world."

"What!?" Asuka could contain herself no longer and exploded. "What do you mean, 'a different world'!? You're saying you're an extraterrestrial!? You must have hit your head on something pretty hard when you fell in the —"

"Pilot Sohryu, be quiet." Gendo's icy voice stopped Asuka's tirade dead in its tracks, and she retreated as far as she could back into the wall the three pilots were leaning against behind the Commander. With the Second Child silenced, Gendo returned his attention to Guts, signaling him to continue. Ritsuko hadn't spoken up, so this "Midland" was actually the man's home.

And that also meant he wasn't from Earth. Gendo was plenty shocked himself, but almost nothing made it through his hardened poker face. The only reaction he gave away to Guts' preposterous answer were his eyes widening ever so slightly.

"Your home, Midland," the Commander said, brushing his shock aside, "is not from this planet, if what you are saying is true. And since Dr. Akagi hasn't said anything, I'm inclined to believe you; however, that still doesn't answer my question: how did you go from Midland to the insides of an Angel?"

Guts smirked. It was something he did fairly regularly these days. "You didn't happen to find a little red egg with a pair of eyes, a nose, and a mouth all messed up on its surface, did you?" Gendo shook his head. After receiving Guts' belongings no such item was described in the report, and something as unusual as that would have definitely been accounted for.

Guts smacked his lips, as if not having it really mattered. "Ah well, it's no big deal right now. Anyways, that thing I just told you about is called a Behelit, and when you get blood on it it starts acting up and doing all kinds of freaky shit."

Gendo nodded along. "So that's what happened to you? You got blood on it and then the next thing you knew you were inside of the Angel?"

"That's pretty much it. I honestly don't know all that much about the damn things myself, so besides the whole blood thing I can't really tell you how it magically teleported me into this world." It was a half-lie, Guts knew, but only because he didn't disclose that an Apostle's blood was needed and that the right kind of Behelit could summon a demonic mass-sacrifice ceremony. That was all too complicated for the swordsman to explain at the moment.

"Well then," the Commander said, "even if all of this sounds like a preposterous lie a child would make up, the MAGI have never failed us once. And since your blood pattern indicates that you are a human being, then that means you truly are a man from another world. Now that doesn't mean you are free to go, however. We will need to run frequent tests to try and get to the bottom of why you came to _this_ particular world, and I also have a few more questions of my own that have piqued my interest since you've arrived."

Guts grumbled something no one could hear under his breath, but he knew that there wasn't any way of getting out of the interrogation unless Gendo said otherwise. At this point everyone in the room was eagerly awaiting the next question, as this was by and large one of the most surreal experiences any of them had experienced.

"When you were first brought to me," Gendo began to shoot off his question, "we did an inventory check of everything you had on your body at the time of your incarceration. Twelve throwing knives, one dagger, one prosthetic left hand outfitted with a repeating crossbow and cannon, full body metal plate armor, one black cloak, and a large iron sword approximately seven feet long and four hundred pounds. For what purpose did you carry all of these weapons? I find it hard to believe that sword is anything but for show, as it took four men to simply carry it."

"First off, don't go rooting through other people's stuff without permission, it's rude." Guts reprimanded Gendo. It was fruitless, but it didn't change the fact that it really irked the swordsman when people touched his property. "Second, I'm a mercenary, and I hunt big game. Using those little toys the regular soldiers used wasn't gonna do me any good, so I had to get myself some upgrades." He briefly thought back to the little cabin in the mountains with Godo, Erica, Rickert, and of course Casca. Thinking about Casca always made Guts a little more broody, but soon enough Gendo's voice snapped him out of his stupor.

"A mercenary, you say? I take it you have a little bit of combat experience on you, especially given your rather fit physique." Guts scoffed at the Commander's words. Saying Guts had a "little" combat experience was like saying the sun was a "little" warm.

"Fighting is all I know how to do. I've been in battles swinging a sword since the day I could walk." This brought back memories of Gambino and his early days as a mercenary. This also brought Guts back to brooding.

There was silence for a minute. Gendo seemed to be thinking something over in his mind; his brow was crinkled ever so slightly and he was idly tapping his fingers against the arm of his chair. Then, the Commander did something he rarely did in the past few years: he smiled. It was small, but it was still a smile nonetheless. Shinji, Asuka, and Rei couldn't see it because Gendo's back was to them, but Misato and Ritsuko did, and instantly the two women knew he was scheming something. Shinji's father leaned forward slightly, staring Guts straight in the face through his glasses.

"Well, I'm sorry to disappoint, but we don't have any grand battles between kings and lords in this world; however, we are fighting a war of our own, and it's one that will result in the extinction of the human race if we fail. It also just so happens that we received two new Evangelion units…"

"Sir!" Ritsuko called out, knowing where Gendo was heading with this, "you can't possibly mean —" The Commander held up a hand to silence the blonde scientist.

"Guts, I understand that you will not understand what I am about to propose to you, but I sincerely hope that you accept." While speaking, Gendo reached down for the manilla folder, pulling out two pictures. One was the Angel that Guts was shown earlier, and the other was a gigantic, metal human-looking thing that must have been at least several hundred meters tall. It was holding a large object in one of its hands, some type of weapon Guts concluded. It fascinated him deeply.

"Become our Fourth Child; become an Evangelion pilot for NERV. You will be able to use one of these," Gendo shook the picture of the Eva, "and fight the Angels with us to protect humanity. Even if you do not care about the fate of our world, you could at the very least pilot to give yourself something to do until we figure out how you could possibly return to your old world." The Commander signaled for Ritsuko to disengage the restraint for Guts' right arm. The sound of hissing air filled the room, and Guts slowly lifted his arm and flexed it, relieving the built-up tension from not moving it for over a day. Gendo extended his own arm, offering a handshake. Guts accepted without hesitation.

"Like I said, fighting is all I know how to do."

"Welcome to NERV, Guts." With that Gendo stood up, tucked the folder under his arm, and made his way to the door. Before exiting, he turned his head toward Misato and Ritsuko. "Major Katsuragi, Dr. Akagi, please debrief our new pilot on proper NERV procedure and give him a brief history lesson to get him up to speed." He left without saying another word.

Shinji, who was unconsciously tense while his father was in the room, sighed lightly as he relaxed his muscles. Being in the same room as his father was never an easy thing, especially when Gendo almost never so much as blinked an eye at him. It hurt.

Ritsuko released the rest of the restraints that kept Guts bound to the chair. The swordsman stood up slowly, stretching his arms over his head and arching his back with an audible cracking sound. It was just now that everyone realized how tall Guts really was.

"I hope you realized what you just signed up for," Misato said. The Major had seen what piloting an Evangelion had done to the last Child they brought aboard, and his screams still lingered with her at night sometimes. Guts, however, seemed to carry himself better than Shinji, so she wasn't too worried. "Well, let's get going. We have a lot of stuff to cover." Misato looked over at the three pilots, who were still against the back wall and staring at her with mixed emotions. "Shinji, Asuka, you guys head home. I'll probably be staying late tonight dealing with Guts, but you two know the drill. Rei, I'll call for a NERV officer to drive you home." The three Children nodded, and Misato smiled before exiting the room with Guts and Ritsuko in tow.

Later that Evening - Misato's Apartment

"That was… Interesting," Asuka said as she idly picked at the dinner that Shinji had made. Misato hadn't gone to the grocery store recently, so that meant Shinji was left with having to cook a basic Japanese dish of chicken and rice. Asuka wasn't very fond of Japanese food, but she still ate it because there wasn't anything else to eat anyways.

"Yeah…" was Shinji's response. The Second Child looked up from her plate at her roommate. If she were being completely honest living with Misato and Shinji really wasn't that bad, it's just that her guardian lived like a pig and her fellow pilot could learn how to liven up a bit. He always looked so downtrodden and depressed that Asuka felt like it was starting to rub off on her.

"Do you truly believe that the MAGI are right? That that guy, Guts, was telling the truth when he said he was from some other world?" Asuka really didn't care what his answer was, she just wanted to get some kind of conversation, reaction, _anything_ going with Shinji.

"I mean," Shinji began, "I'm no computer whiz like Dr. Akagi is, so I don't really know. If Dr. Akagi believes he's telling the truth, I guess I have no other option than to believe her."

'I finally got him to say more than three words,' Asuka proudly thought. Her victory was short lived, as the Third Child went right back to being the silent introvert he was. The redhead started to feel herself become irritated, and soon enough the words rolled off of her tongue before she even knew what she was saying.

"What the hell is your problem, Third!? Is it really that hard to talk with someone!? I swear I could have a more interesting conversation with a brick wall!"

Shinji put down his chopsticks and glared at Asuka, something the redhead was _not_ expecting him to do. Shinji almost always did nothing to combat Asuka's anger when it was directed at him, save for a half-assed "sorry", so that was why Asuka was shocked when he started to mouth back at her.

"What the hell is _your_ problem!? You always walk around like you own the place, like you're better than everyone! Maybe you should get your own attitude checked before you go around berating others about theirs!" As that was probably the most Shinji had ever yelled at someone before in his life, the teenager dropped his chopsticks on the table and put his head in his hands.

"I'm sorry, Asuka. I've just had a bad day, I didn't mean to go off like that. It's just that seeing the Commander, my own father, care more about some man found drifting out in the ocean more than his damn son messes me up. I just wish he'd acknowledge me for once in his goddamn life."

Asuka remained silent. She had heard about Shinji's strained relationship with his father, about how the boy was ignored and neglected his entire life only until now. Even then, the only reason Gendo acknowledged his son was to get him to pilot a gigantic robot and fight creatures that Shinji wanted nothing to do with.

In a way, they were alike. Both had traumatic childhoods, and both felt the effects of being alone and without a family. Asuka still cried herself to sleep some nights thinking about her deceased mother, about that doll, about that body hanging from the ceiling…

Asuka internally shook her head to clear her mind of those disgusting memories. The redhead wanted someone to talk to, someone to be friends with, someone to love. She wanted to feel warm and safe in someone's protective arms. Her mother's suicide robbed her of that much-desired warmth, and Asuka desperately wanted a taste of it. However, she was afraid of being hurt, that the person she turned to for comfort would throw her away like trash on the street. The Second Child had already had that happen to her once, and she couldn't live with having it done to her once more.

"I, I know how you feel," Asuka said in a calm voice. Shinji was taken aback; she _never_ talked like that. "My own mother neglected me as a small child. She became insane when I was four, and she thought that some doll was her real daughter, her real Asuka. She barely acknowledged my existence. One day, after I was told I was going to become an Evangelion pilot, I was probably the happiest I ever was in my life. I ran to the psychiatric ward, wanting to tell my mother that they chose _me_ to pilot an Eva, but when I opened the door all I saw was her hanging by a rope from the ceiling."

Shinji's eyes went wide as he listened to Asuka's twisted story, but he didn't say anything out of respect. Silence fell over the two pilots, but it wasn't overbearing. It was peaceful, actually, as they both sat on opposite sides of the table, in-front of their food, thinking about their own pasts as well as the other's. The silence was broken, however, at the sound of the front door opening and Misato's voice ringing out into the apartment.

"We're home!"

Shinji and Asuka both smiled lightly; Misato always livened up the place. They stopped smiling, however, when their minds finished processing what their guardian had said and the Second and Third Child turned to face each other with very perplexed looks on their faces.

'We!?' they both thought simultaneously.

From their position at the table, Shinji and Asuka turned their heads to see the usual form of Misato, and the highly unusual form of a large, muscular man wearing little more than brown pants and a black tank top.

"Guts!?"


	5. Chapter 5

**Took me awhile, but here it is. There are probably a couple continuity errors in here, but I honestly don't think it's anything big enough to warrant going back and rereading everything. Again, expect things from canon to be changed with little to no explanation for the sake of plot.**

 **I do not own Evangelion or Berserk.**

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

* * *

Misato stifled a laugh when she saw Shinji and Asuka's faces. The purple-haired woman couldn't blame them, though. Had a large man whom only a few hours ago was being detained by NERV and was claiming that he was from another universe appeared in her house unannounced, she would be pretty surprised, too. Hell, Misato still had some trouble herself believing Gendo had allowed her to take Guts in; she was almost certain her request would've been swept under the rug and the poor man would be spending his time in some dark, cold cell deep within the GeoFront.

Guts, stoic as ever, raised a hand in greeting to his now fellow pilots and roommates. "Yo," he spoke casually. Asuka was still too shocked to respond, but Shinji managed to wave back and get a meek greeting out of his mouth. An awkward silence fell over the apartment as the three pilots stared at each other, and Misato decided to move things along, lest the current atmosphere become any more unbearable.

"Guts, why don't you have a seat at the table. Shinji, could you go get him some dinner?" Guts nodded and made his way to the chair at the end of the table. Shinji wordlessly obeyed his guardian's commands and went to the kitchen to get the mysterious man a helping of chicken and rice. Misato slipped her bag from her shoulders and flopped down into her chair on the other end of the table across from Guts with a sigh. "Grab me a beer while you're in there! I haven't had anything to drink all day!"

Shinji returned with Guts' food and Misato's alcohol and everyone resumed eating. Misato tried to make small talk with Shinji and Asuka about their days, but she was only met with a grunt from Asuka and a bland, "It was fine," line from Shinji. Another period of silence followed, save for the clinking of utensils against plates as almost everyone ate.

Guts ignored the food in front of him and used this time to think. He was certainly in quite the predicament, no thanks once again to that damn behelit; those things brought nothing but agony to his life. Just thinking about them made him want to grind his teeth. Now wasn't the time for that, though. The Black Swordsman needed to figure out how to survive in this world so he could get back to his own.

This world he landed in appeared peaceful enough, and it was certainly more advanced than Midland. His ride back to Misato's apartment from NERV in a horseless carriage known as a car was surreal. Towering buildings made of metal and glass rose up from the ground and into the sky everywhere he looked, and everything was covered in bright, flashing lights that advertised different shops and taverns and other things he couldn't read. Tokyo-3, as he learned the city was called, was also the noisiest place he had ever been in outside of the battlefield. Guts' ears were assaulted constantly by alien noises that Misato described as, "The sounds of engines revving, car horns honking, and the nightlife scene." Well, the swordsman had no idea what an engine was, and he couldn't see any horns.

Misato's apartment on its own was completely otherworldly to Guts. As he glanced around from his seat, he could see numerous appliances to which he was clueless on what they were or how they functioned. It was also very bright inside despite the sun having already set, and the summer heat dissolved into a welcoming coolness the second he stepped inside.

A hand being waved in front of his face tore him away from his thoughts. Guts blinked and saw Misato leaning across the table, her arm outstretched and a concerned look on her face. Shinji and Asuka were also staring at him perplexedly. "Are you OK, Guts? I've been calling your name but you haven't been responding."

The Black Swordsman rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry, I got lost in my thoughts. How does this place stay so cool in the summer? Every building back in my world is usually a sweltering hellhole."

Misato relaxed back in her chair and giggled. "It's called central air conditioning." The look Guts was giving her indicated he had no idea what she was talking about, and the purple-haired woman herself didn't know enough to explain it in layman's terms. "Anyways, aren't you going to eat? Or are you a vegetarian?"

Guts scoffed at that. "Hell no. I can't keep my body in-shape without some source of meat." The sly eye-scanning over his body as he said that by the two women at the table didn't go unnoticed, but Guts simply ignored them and picked up his fork to stab a piece of chicken. He put it into his mouth and chewed gingerly, before a sudden look of surprise spread across his face.

"Damn, this is good. Beats any chicken I've ever eaten back in Midland, that's for sure." Guts took another large bite, his tastebuds once again being treated to one of the greatest pleasures they had ever known.

Misato laughed. "Glad you like it! It was all Shinji's work over here!" She reached over and patted the Third Child on the back. Shinji, not one for being the center of attention, shrunk into his chair.

Guts glanced at Shinji. For the brief moment he saw him back in the interrogation room, he already got the memo that the Third Child wasn't a very strong person—niether physically or mentally. His small body and the way he clammed up around that man, Gendo, planted the thought in Guts' mind, but how he reacted over a simple compliment about dinner all but confirmed it. The thought of such a person backing him up in a fight was discontenting, to say the least. He kept his thoughts just at they were, though—thoughts.

"You mentioned that this place called Midland is your home," Asuka finally spoke up for the first time, "what's it like?"

Guts put down his fork and swallowed the food in his mouth. "It's nothing like this, I can tell you that. There are rolling plains everywhere, with small towns scattered throughout. None of the buildings are anywhere near the size of yours, and they're all made of wood. I also haven't seen any farms or castles…"

"Castles? So it's medieval?"

"If that's what you want to call it, then sure."

"Are there any wars? In our world, the medieval times were almost always plagued by war and suffering."

Guts gave Asuka a curt nod. "Yeah, there were wars all right. I didn't really mind, though; fighting in battles was how I made a living."

"That's right, you said you were a mercenary. Is that how you lost your arm and eye?" Asuka didn't mean any ill will when she asked, but the way Guts reacted made her instantly regret ever doing so. The Second Child could have sworn the air temperature in the apartment dropped several degrees, and the swordsman's lone eye shot her one of the iciest glares she had ever seen.

Misato quickly switched into damage control mode and gave Asuka a scolding mixed in with some nervous laughter. "Now now, Asuka. You need to be more considerate of others' feelings."

Guts sighed and closed his eye. "No, it's fine. It's just a touchy subject, that's all." The Black Swordsman knew Asuka was asking out of simple curiosity, but he simply couldn't help it. The slightest allusion to that day would always fill his mind with uncontrollable, red-hot rage.

The remainder of dinnertime passed by uneventfully. Misato soon after retreated to her room to sleep while Shinji did the dishes and Asuka sat on the couch watching TV. Having recovered from earlier, the Second Child invited Guts to sit with her while she gave it her best attempt to explain to the man from another world what exactly television was.

"So...these people aren't inside of that box?"

"Nope. There are these things called cameras and when you point them at something they take whatever they see and send the image to the TV. It's a lot more complicated than that, obviously, but it's the simplest way to describe it to someone that doesn't know the first thing about technology."

Guts nodded and scratched his chin as he looked back at the mysterious box before him. They were watching the evening news, something even Guts could understand the basic concepts of. Asuka had initially tried to show him reality TV, but the task of explaining how people found watching other peoples' daily lives entertaining proved too monumental of a task even for her.

While her new roommate was preoccupied, Asuka took a side glance at him. There was no denying it: Guts was an incredibly attractive person, perhaps even more so than Kaji ('Blasphemy!' she scolded herself for even thinking of such things). He was tall, his jawline was sharp, and there were more muscles in just one of his arms than most men had in their entire bodies. The red-haired teenager also took notice of the numerous scars that adorned his skin—most definitely inflicted during battle.

'He must have had a tough life back in his old world, being a soldier and all that.' The Second Child reflected on her question at the dinner table and shuddered; whatever happened to Guts that would bring about a reaction like that, she hoped that that didn't happen to her out on the battlefield. Asuka's eyes continued to drift as stealthily as they could, reaching the hunk of metal that was his left arm. She thought back to the Over the Rainbow in awe; even if it was a prosthetic, the ability to punch holes into an aircraft carrier was no small feat.

Her thoughts were disrupted when she saw Shinji out of the corner of her eye. He had stopped washing the dishes, plate in-hand, and instead simply stood in the kitchen staring at her with a seemingly quizzical look on his face. It didn't show, but Asuka knew that he knew what she was doing. Asuka stuck her tongue out at him and the Third Child quickly ducked his head back down towards the sink.

Shinji joined his two roommates on the couch once he finished up with the dishes. They talked for quite awhile, surprisingly. As the trio continued to watch the news, Guts would speak up with a question about whatever the news anchor was reporting on. Shinji and Asuka both took turns trying to make their world make sense to the swordsman, and it served as a nice little crash course for their new fellow pilot.

"It seems like there are wars no matter where you go, even if it's to a different world." The news anchor was currently giving a report on the scattered conflicts around the world that had arisen as a result of Second Impact.

"Yeah," Asuka spoke, "Second Impact really screwed the world over in just about every way possible. It's also the reason it's so hot out all the time; we've been in summer for about fourteen years now."

"And a giant rock from space caused all this?" Guts became slightly concerned. His world was already shitty enough as it was, he didn't need some meteor slamming into the planet and giving him even more trouble.

"If you're concerned about this happening to you, don't worry." It was Shinji that spoke up this time. Asuka took note that this was the most she had probably ever heard him talk in one sitting. "Our planet has been around for billions of years, and only once has it ever actually been hit by a meteor. This meteor they're talking about," he gestured to the TV, "is actually just a coverup. Second Impact was actually caused by an Angel, the things we're supposed to fight."

Guts nodded as he absorbed what the Third Child told him. "I see, and they do that to control the populace so there isn't any mass hysteria, I'm guessing?" His question was confirmed with nods from two heads on both sides of him. "Speaking of Angels, I'd like to know what exactly these things are. I got a rundown from the bigwigs at this NERV place of yours, but I got jack shit out of that conversation. I'm assuming, since you two are the ones that actually fight them, that you'd know their abilities best."

Asuka sighed, he back pressing further into the cushions of the couch. "That's the problem, though. We don't actually know their abilities. Aside from a few common traits they all share, each Angel so far is unique and has to be killed in a different way."

"That sucks."

The Second Child gave Guts a smile. "Yeah, it does. It's not all bad, though. After killing a few of them we've learned that each Angel is protected by something called an AT field. Our Evangelions also have one, and they're basically an invisible shield that blocks just about any attack; only the strongest weapons we have are able to penetrate them. But don't worry, if you can get close enough to it and fight hand-to-hand it's not too much of a hassle to get through."

The Black Swordsman filed this new info into his mind. "What else do they have in common?" The more you knew about your enemy's strengths and weaknesses, the better.

"All Angels also contain a red orb called a 'Core'," Asuka explained, "which is like their heart. Destroy that, and the Angel dies. Easier said than done, obviously, and the location of the core is different for each Angel."

"Red orb...yeah, I remember seeing something like that before I woke up in that flashy dungeon of yours." Guts recalled the experience with unease. Floating around in that dark void felt so serene—at least, until he touched the supposed core. The rush that filled his body reminded him of an all too familiar feeling that left the back of his neck itching.

"Heheh...whelp, that's all I can tell you. You can ask Third over there if you've got any more questions, since he's the one with the most kills." Shinji didn't miss the look Asuka gave him as she said that. The timid teenager sank just a little deeper into the couch.

Guts turned to the Third Child with a raised brow. 'This skinny boy has the most kills?'

"Of course, that's only because he's been doing it longer than I have. I'll be on the top of the leaderboards in no time!" With that, Asuka raised herself from the couch and walked down hallway to the sliding door that lead to her room. "I'm going to bed, good night!" All the two males could see were a few stray strands of red hair before she finished speaking.

"What a weird kid," Guts spoke nonchalantly as he scratched his cheek. Asuka appeared normal enough to him at first glance, she was certainly one of the more sane women he'd met in his life, but she had a pretty obvious superiority complex that someone was going to have to put in check for the betterment of both her life and those around her. Being too cocky could get you killed, as Guts witnessed time and time again.

"Yeah, Asuka really likes to be on top." Shinji continued to stare at the flashing screen of the TV. "And now that you're here, she probably feels like an extra layer of competition has been added on so she has to try even harder."

Guts nodded. "I'll try not to get in her way." The ambition Asuka had fight pleased the swordsman; he just hoped that she could put her money where her mouth was.

Some more time passed, and Shinji and Guts hadn't moved an inch or said a word. The only sounds resonating through the apartment were the voices from the TV and the occasional snort in Misato's room.

"Say, Guts," Shinji's voice rang out into the apartment, "about your home, Midland. You said it was like the medieval period in our world, with castles and such…"

"...Yes?" Guts shot the Third Child a look with his eye.

"Why do you want to get back there so badly? Based on the small amounts of

information you gave us, it—no offense—sounds like a pretty miserable place to live in. There are constant wars, and if it resembles anything like our history books there has to be a lot of sickness and suffering and corruption. Do you have a family or a lover you need to get back to?"

Guts' face darkened when Shinji said "lover" and "family", but he quickly masked his emotions and gave him a curt reply. "There is a man I need to kill. That's all you need to know."

Shinji looked down at the floor. He felt kind of sorry for the man Guts was out to kill. "Oh, ok. Good luck with that." With those awkward words Shinji got off the couch and walked over to the hall closet. He pulled out several pillows and a few blankets, bundling them all up before returning to where Guts remained seated.

"I'm sorry, but we don't have any spare bedrooms, so you'll have to sleep on the couch. The bathroom is down the hall to your right. If you need a drink of water, simply lift that little lever above the sink faucet and it'll come shooting out."

Guts took the pillows and blankets from Shinji and made himself a makeshift bed. Now that Shinji mentioned sleep, the day's events were making the swordsman pretty tired himself.

"If you're comfortable, I'll be going to bed then. Goodnight, Guts." Shinji turned on his feet and made his way to his own room.

"G'night," came Guts' reply from the living room. Shinji gave the large man one last look before sliding his bedroom door shut.

Guts let loose a large yawn he hadn't realized he was keeping pent up. The day's events were catching up with the Black Swordsman, and his eyes were beginning to feel heavy. With another yawn, Guts slid underneath the covers and made himself comfortable on the couch.

'It's comfortable,' Guts thought as his body relaxed against the pillows and couch cushions. He closed his eye, and the apartment settled into a dark, silent slumber. For a moment.

Guts' eye suddenly opened wide and he rolled out of the blankets and onto the floor in a panicked, yet controlled combat roll. Crouched in the middle of the living room, Guts quickly scanned his surroundings while instinctively reaching behind him for his Dragonslayer. Of course, he grabbed nothing but air.

'Damn,' Guts cursed to himself, 'those bastards still have my stuff.' The swordsman felt cold and exposed without his weapons and armor. How could he be so careless? Perhaps it was simply how surreal the day was, but even so this thoughtlessness could cost him his life.

The demons. The things that had haunted him since the Eclipse, the things that had caused him so much pain and countless sleepless nights. Guts had completely forgotten about them, and now he would pay the price.

'There has to be something around here I can use as a weapon,' he thought. Scanning the room, Guts looked into the kitchen and took note of a steak knife left out on the counter. He hastily made his way over to it and grasped the hilt tightly in his good hand.

'Come on you bastards, show yourselves.' Guts stood, on the balls of his feet and muscles tense, in the middle of the kitchen for what felt like an eternity. The apartment remained still, and not a trace of a soul hell-bent on taking over the swordsman's body was to be seen. Were they playing with him? No, that was impossible. The demons always attacked him head-on—no strategy whatsoever; something else was amiss.

It was then the room was suddenly bathed in light and Guts took notice of Shinji, who was standing in the entrance to the living room with his finger on the light switch and a confused look on his face.

"Guts? What's going on in here?"

The Black Swordsman lowered the knife to his side, but he still kept his guard up. "It's a long story, and you probably won't believe me," he began, "but I'll tell you the basics. You see this?" Guts turned his head and pointed to the strange tattoo on his neck that Shinji took note of when he first saw the swordsman at NERV.

The Third Child slowly approached Guts to get a better look. The mark was obviously a symbol of some sort, but it didn't look like anything he had seen before.

"It's called the Brand," Guts told Shinji, "and it attracts demons, souls of the damned that are left drifting aimlessly in the wind, in search of a new host. They are mostly active at night, and I've probably been awake until dawn more often than not because of the damned things."

A slight panic came over Shinji. As far-fetched as Guts' story sounded, the Third Child couldn't help but believe the swordsman's words. In a world where monolithic beings from space were attempting to destroy humanity, and a man from an alternate dimension was now his roommate, demons didn't sound all that unrealistic.

"W-what do we do?" Shinji's voice had a slight quiver to it. Guts couldn't blame the kid, though; the only reason he himself was usually unfazed was because it had simply become the norm in his life. Tonight was different, however. There was still no sight of the monsters.

"Honestly, I don't know. They normally show themselves by now...wait here." Guts silently crept out of the kitchen and towards the front door. Turning the handle slowly, the Black Swordsman slowly pushed the door open and stuck his head out. His face was hit by the summer heat, but aside from the skyline and distant noise of the city Guts couldn't see or hear anything. He cautiously looked around several times before closing the door.

"Nothing outside." Guts sat himself down on the couch and let the knife fall out of his grip beside him. Shinji walked out of the kitchen and took a seat next to his roommate.

'What the fuck is happening?' The thought rushed through Guts' mind for the hundredth time that night. 'Maybe...they won't be coming at all? Did the curse just not follow me here?' The more he thought about it, the more absurd it sounded. No more demons? No more sleepless nights? A small chuckle escaped Guts' lips, and it soon escalated into uncontrollable laughter that resounded throughout the apartment.

Shinji simply stared at Guts with concern. One minute he was fearing for his life, and then the next he was laughing like it was the funniest thing in the world. 'There's definitely a screw or two loose in his head.'

"Would you shut up in there!? I'm trying to sleep!" An angry voice from Asuka's room hushed Guts, and his usual serious expression settled back onto his face.

"So...did you think of a plan?" Shinji asked, staring at his fingers as he twiddled them.

"Nope. I don't think I'll need one. It should all be smooth sailing from here on out."

Shinji glaced at Guts with skepticism, but he didn't say anything. What was there to say, anyways? He didn't have any experience with demons, and Guts certainly appeared more capable of dealing with them than he was.

"O-ok. If you're alright, then I'm going to go back to bed." Shinji got up off the couch and walked to his room, wishing Guts another goodnight before sliding the door shut.

Guts stared at Shinji's door for a second and then stretched his arms over his head, letting out a small grunt before laying back down on the couch. 'No more demons, huh?'

The Next Morning

"Good morning, Guts." Shinji emerged from his bedroom, school outfit in-hand as he walked towards the bathroom. Guts cracked his eyelid open, muttering a greeting of his own while sitting up slowly. Despite his presumed good fortune, the swordsman still didn't get much sleep. It still wasn't one hundred percent confirmed that he was no longer being hunted, so he had kept his guard up all night just in case.

Guts got a look at Shinji's face as he walked by. Judging by the dark circles around his eyes, the boy hadn't gotten much sleep, either. 'Figures. I gave the kid a pretty good scare last night.' He laughed to himself, remembering the look on Shinji's face as he explained his situation. The Black Swordsman still had a hard time believing Shinji killed three of those Angels.

The sun was just up over the horizon, its glare stinging Guts' eye. The swordsman blindly reached out for his knapsack, but all he felt was air. Damn, he just remembered; his only possessions in this world were the clothes on his back and his Dragonslayer, which were still in NERV's possession.

The sound of running water could be heard from the bathroom. Guts grunted as he stretched and looked out the apartment's sliding door towards Tokyo-3. The towering buildings of glass and metal served as a reminder for Guts on how far away he was from home.

The bathroom went quiet after a few minutes, and Shinji soon emerged dressed and ready for the day. The Third Child quickly got to work in the kitchen, lighting the stove and digging in the cupboards for a skillet as he prepared to make breakfast.

Guts silently watched Shinji as he worked. His usual skittish attitude disappeared when he was in the kitchen, replaced with one of calmness and a smile that actually looked genuine.

At least, until another occupant in the apartment decided to make her presence known. She didn't say anything as she walked by, but Asuka simply being in the same room as him made Shinji hunch over slightly. His body language wasn't obvious to the average person, but to Guts' highly trained eye it might as well be.

Guts looked at Asuka's back as she went to take her turn in the bathroom, then to Shinji, then back to the sliding door. So the kid had some girl issues. Who cared? As long as it didn't affect his performance in battle Guts couldn't care less.

"Breakfast is ready, Guts." Shinji placed the plates of eggs and toast on the table. Guts took seat and began to eat. Once again, the quality of the food surprised him.

'If this kid can fight as well as he can cook, then maybe those kills aren't so surprising after all.'

Guts turned his head as he heard a door slide open behind him. Misato stepped out from her room, hair disheveled and looking slightly hungover.

"Mmm...good morning boys." Misato walked like a zombie to the fridge, rummaging around in it for a moment before pulling out a can of beer and taking a large swig.

"Aah! That's the stuff!" And just like that, Misato was back to her usual perky self. The purple-haired woman didn't miss the disapproving look she got from Shinji, but she chose to ignore it like always.

Asuka joined her roommates at the table shortly after, hair still damp from the shower. Her school uniform was wrinkle-free, and her hair was done up as usual with her red Interface Headset. Guts could see that the girl prided herself with her looks.

Guts could also see why Shinji acted the way he did around her. Asuka was kind of a bitch.

"Dammit, Shinji! You burnt my toast!" The Second Child dramatically spit the pieces of bread out of her mouth and across the table. Guts looked down at his plate; his toast appeared to be the same shade as hers, and he thought it was cooked perfectly. "You better not have messed up my lunch, too!"

"D-don't worry, Asuka," Shinji stammered, "it's the same as always. I promise."

"It better be!" Asuka pushed her chair out and stood up. "Now hurry up and finish eating, idiot, or we're going to be late!"

Shinji obliged, and after quickly shoveling the remaining food into his mouth and tossing the dishes into the sink he grabbed his bag and wished Misato and Guts a good day as he was shunted out the door by Asuka.

The two remaining occupants of the apartment didn't speak for a minute, reveling in the silence.

"They don't appear to like each other that much. Are they always like that?"

Misato waved a hand at Guts. "Oh yeah, they're always bickering about something when they're together. I'm pretty sure Asuka doesn't really mean it, though, and it's good practice to help Shinji learn to deal with women."

Guts raised an eyebrow at that, but said nothing.

"They've both had hard lives, those two. Both Shinji and Asuka lost their mothers when they were young, and Shinji's father couldn't give a damn about what happens to him." Misato paused to take another drink. "Asuka likes to act all high and mighty, but it's really all just an act; she just doesn't want to go through what happened with her mother again so she pushes everyone away. Shinji's the same way, but he's a little more passive about it than Asuka."

Drumming his fingers on the table, Guts digested the information Misato gave him. "And why are you telling me this? Isn't this stuff a little...personal?"

"It's your jobs to fight the Angels as a team. I figured it would be helpful to you if you understood your fellow pilots' pasts. Just make sure they don't find out that I told you all this, ok?" Misato winked at Guts.

"My lips are sealed," Guts said dryly. Misato giggled at his seriousness; the man could really learn how to lighten up a little and have some fun.

"Well, that aside, while Shinji and Asuka are at school, we're going to head over to NERV and get some stuff finished up so you can be officially declared an Evangelion pilot. You'll have to fill out some paperwork, get fitted for your plugsuit, and have a tour of the facility. Sound good?"

Later - On the Road to NERV

Guts idly stared out the window from the passenger seat of Misato's car. Few words were spoken between the two during the ride, and the only source of noise came from some ambient music over the radio. That was fine with Guts—he preferred when it was quiet anyways.

The car passed by a billboard along the side of the road. It was an advertisement for a shampoo for women, something Guts usually wouldn't even pay a second glance at, but the model had the looks of someone he would instantly recognize.

Short black hair, dark skin, black eyes—Casca. Guts' usual cold heart lurched, and he even twisted his body around in the seat to try and get a better look at the model.

Misato took notice of Guts' suddenly strange behavior. "Hmm, what's wrong, Guts? Do you see something?" She glanced out of her side and rearview mirrors, but all she saw was the back of the billboard.

The Black Swordsman sighed, propping his elbow on the door and placing his chin in his hand. "No, it's nothing. Forget about it." Misato gave him a strange look, but she decided to save her questions for later because they were about to arrive at NERV.

Misato took a turn, sending the car onto a back road through the woods. As they continued to drive, Guts took notice that not a single car had passed them for some time. "Uh, where are we?" he asked.

"NERV is a pretty top-secret facility; not many people know the organization even exists, let alone where it's located. If you look closely, you can see we're being watched."

Guts took a look out the window. He didn't see much at first, just endless rows of trees and shrubbery, but upon closer inspection some of the trees didn't really look like trees. Their bark gave off a slight gleam, and the leaves were more resistant to swaying in the wind than the ones around them.

"Some of the trees look funny."

"Yep! They've got cameras and sensors built inside of them so we can see who's coming. If you aren't authorized, you're not going to get very far past this point."

"Do they kill you or something?"

"No, nothing that extreme. You're just arrested and given a heavy fine for trespassing. No worries, though," Misato reached into her bag and dug out a lanyard with her NERV ID hanging from it, "we're in the clear."

They drove for a few more minutes before entering a tunnel. It was dimly lit inside, the warm orange glow of the lights overhead being the only source of illumination. At the end of the tunnel, or at least what appeared to be the end, sat a large metal bay door. Misato slowed her car to a halt as they approached it.

After sitting in front of the door for a brief moment, the hiss of the airlocks being disengaged could be heard and the giant door split into two and retracted into the sides of the tunnel.

"Pretty neat, huh?" Misato said as she shifted gears and began to drive again. After passing through the large door, the tunnel took on a completely different look. Concrete was replaced with metal, and the dull orange lights were now a blinding white. Guts found himself squinting as he allowed his eyes to adjust to the brightness.

Another bay door similar to the first one greeted Misato and Guts shortly. Misato rolled down her window and flashed her ID, opening the door. To Guts' confusion, there was yet another door directly on the other side.

"A lot of work to just get into a building," Guts said.

"This isn't just any building," Misato replied. As she drove forward towards the next door, the one behind the car snapped shut. The lights suddenly shone red for a brief moment before returning to normal.

"This is a B-22 Special Express departing for G33-1. This train will bypass all other stations." A robotic voice spoke up. There was a rumbling, like a small earthquake, and then the car lurched as if it were moving.

"What's going on?" Guts asked. Almost nothing in this world made sense to him.

"Don't worry, we're basically on a gigantic elevator. It'll take us to NERV in just a few minutes." Sure enough, when Guts looked out the window he noticed that the tunnel had completely disappeared, replaced instead with black walls dotted with strips of lights and an endless row of moving platforms.

Misato placed her hands behind her head and relaxed into her seat. "So," she asked casually, "are you nervous? Scared?"

"About what?" Guts asked.

"You, know this whole piloting thing. It's a big job, being the protector of the world and all that."

"Nah, I'm not scared. I've seen shit you wouldn't believe, and fighting is something I do basically every day. And to be honest, I'm not all that concerned about your world; I just want to get back to mine. This is just something I'll be doing for kicks and giggles until I can figure out how to get home."

Misato snorted at that. "Really? You aren't even just a little bit scared?"

"Listen, woman—" Guts was going to retort, but was suddenly captivated by the view before him. The dark tunnel had ended, giving way to a vast underground world. A dense forest covered the ground, and skyscrapers hung from the ceiling. In the center of the cavern sat a blue pyramid next to a large lake.

"Pretty amazing, isn't it?" Misato said. "I still get chills every time I look at it."

Guts pried his eyes away for a second to look at Misato. Many things had surprised him since arriving in this strange world, but what he was looking at now definitely took the cake. "How the hell is this even possible? This place is the size of a small country...and it's underground!"

Misato stifled a giggle. It was funny seeing the usual stoic Guts get worked up for once. "It's called the GeoFront, and it's the headquarters of NERV. It also helps to protect the city; when an Angel attacks, practically every building can be moved underground so we can minimize collateral damage."

The elevator continued to carry the car across the GeoFront and into NERV HQ. Once both the car and passengers were screened and cleared for entry, Misato and Guts got out and stepped onto a conveyer belt that moved them through a series of corridors and rooms. The whole thing felt like a gigantic maze to the Black Swordsman.

"So...where are we going now?"

"Well, we're supposed to meet with the Commander to finalize all your documentation and declare you an official Evangelion pilot, but that's boring! I'm going to take you to your Eva and show you what it looks like!"

Guts sweatdropped. 'Aren't you supposed to listen to your superior officers?'

After weaving their ways through the facility, the conveyer belt dropped Misato and Guts off at their designated spot. The duo stepped into an elevator, taking them even deeper into NERV.

Guts' ears popped as the air pressure changed. "Just how far down does this place go, anyways?" he asked.

"Oh, pretty deep," Misato said. "Most of the stuff at this level is top secret, though, so there's good reason to bury it so far down. It's for the safety of the world, after all." The elevator dinged, and the doors slid open. On the other side stood Ritsuko, an unreadable look on her face.

Misato blanched. "R-Ritsuko! Hi! W-what are you doing here?"

The NERV scientist sighed. "Oh, I was just testing out the security cameras when I happened to see a familiar face. Now you tell me, Misato: what are _you_ doing here?"

Misato scrambled for an excuse. "Well, uh, you see...I made a wrong turn and—"

A raised hand silenced the Major. "It's alright, Misato. You can show him the Evangelion. But we'll report to the Commander immediately afterwards, ok?"

The tone in Ritsuko's voice told Misato that there was no room for negotiating. "Thanks, Rits. You're the best!" She gave her friend a smile and stepped out of the elevator, Guts in tow. The trio made their way down the cold, narrow hallways. They arrived at a door, its frame outlined with a strip of red paint and an "Authorized Personnel Only" sign plastered on the front.

Misato placed her ID onto the face of the scanner. "We're almost there," she told Guts. The door opened with a his, and awaiting them on the other side was a dimly lit room with a cart in the center. "This is what will take us to the Eva cages," Misato explained.

The cart started with a groan and began to move at a slightly upwards angle. Guts couldn't see much at first, but an amber hue suddenly began to catch his vision. It slowly began to surround him entirely, and thin traces of bubbles could be seen forming. The swordsman realized that it was some type of liquid, held back by massive sheets of glass.

A hand appeared in the liquid. Guts had to do a double-take, but his eye wasn't fooling him; as the cart continued to move, he could most definitely see a gigantic black hand submerged in the murky liquid. Its palm was open and fingers outstretched, almost as if it was reaching for something. Misato and Ritsuko didn't seem to pay any heed to it, so the ride continued on in silence.

Guts didn't see any other oversized body parts throughout the rest of the ride. They walked for a little more once off the cart, until eventually they stopped in front of another door.

"It's right on the other side of this door," Misato told Guts. The swordsman nodded in response. He looked as calm and collected as ever on the outside, but inside there was the tiniest amount of giddiness in him.

The door opened, and Guts stepped out onto a catwalk. One thing was for certain: the picture he was shown definitely didn't do it justice.

"It's huge…" Guts stared at the massive head of the Evangelion in awe. The skull was painted jet black, its teeth a blood red. Two white eyes stared Guts down menacingly. Two fins stuck out of the amber liquid, connected to what Guts assumed were the shoulders.

"This is Evangelion Unit-03," Ritsuko began. "Our previous models had...specific requirements in order to pilot them. With Unit-03, however, anyone can pilot it with the proper training. Its combat capabilities are still the exact same as the others, so there will be no need to worry about going out into the field underpowered. Unit-03 receives power from an umbilical cable, so you can pilot for an indefinite amount of time while connected. If the cable happens to be severed during battle, your reserve power will allow you to keep going for five minutes."

Guts wasn't really paying attention to Ritsuko's science jargon that he couldn't even begin to understand, though. He simply continued to stare at the gigantic robot in awe. "How do I use it?" he asked.

Misato explained this one. "All pilots are issued a plugsuit and Interface Headset, which you will receive after meeting with the Commander. You will wear these while piloting to connect with the Evangelion. The pilot seat is in the neck, and you are inserted with a white pod called an Entry Plug. Inside of the Entry Plug are all the controls you need to move the Eva and fight with it. I've been told it's pretty easy once you get the hang of it."

Ritsuko clapped her hands together, the sound echoing throughout the cage. "Right. Now, if that's everything, let's get to the Commander so we can—" An alarm suddenly went off, and Ritsuko's words died on her tongue. Both women's bodies tensed, their faces full of concern.

"What's going on!?" Guts yelled over the wail of the alarm.

"It's the Angel alarm! There's an Angel coming!" Misato yelled back. The timing couldn't possibly be worse; Shinji, Asuka, and Rei were still at school. It would take them at least twenty minutes to suit up and be fully ready to sortie. And going by Ritsuko's conversation over the emergency phone to the Command Center, time was not on their side.

"How the hell did you let it get this close without detecting anything!? It's the size of a goddamn building!" Ritsuko slapped her palm against her face, groaning loudly. "I don't care if it wasn't there when you last checked—you know what, forget it for now. Just begin the evacuation procedures and we'll take it from here." When the line died she angrily slammed the phone into the wall. "Damn idiots couldn't run a hotdog stand."

It was about this time that Guts' own internal alarm began to sound. His eyes widened in surprise when he felt his neck tingle, and he was even more shocked when he reached behind to feel a warm trickle of blood. That shock, however, soon gave way to an epiphany, and a devilish smile stretched across the Black Swordsman's face. The feeling he had before he was rescued from the ocean all made sense now. And if _they_ were here, then maybe he could find a clue on how to get home.

Misato took notice of Guts. "Hey, Guts, is everything alright?"

"Just perfect…" he replied, eyes still locked on his bloody fingers.

Meanwhile, Ritsuko was frantically trying to brainstorm a way of getting the Children to NERV as quickly as possible. "The Angel has already advanced into the southern part of Tokyo-3, which is usually the fastest way to get here. Maybe if we could airlift them—"

"That won't be necessary, Dr. Akagi." A commanding voice spoke up over the loudspeakers in the Eva cage. Guts, Misato, and Ritsuko looked up towards the source, finding to their shock Gendo Ikari standing over them from a platform.

"S-Sir!" Ritsuko addressed him, "what do you propose we do!? Tokyo-3 and NERV are going to be completely vulnerable until the pilots arrive! With no pilots, we have no way of defending the facility!"

"That's nonsense," the Commander replied, "we have a perfectly able-bodied pilot right here." To make sure his point was driven home, he pointed a finger at Guts.

Misato and Ritsuko were shocked. "Sir! You can't be serious!" Misato challenged Gendo. "Guts barely knows what a lightbulb is, let alone how to operate an Evangelion! He has had no training whatsoever, and we don't even have a plugsuit or Interface Headset for him!"

The Commander reached into his coat pocket, rummaging around for a second before pulling something out and tossing it at Guts. The swordsman caught it easily, and turning it over in his hand it looked like that strange headband Asuka was wearing, except this one was black instead of red.

"As for your comment about a lack of training," Gendo said to a speechless Misato. "The Third Child had no such thing either prior to his first sortie, and we're all still here in one piece, aren't we?"

Misato clenched her fists. 'Yes, but that wasn't even really Shinji who defeated the Angel!' Still, the Major could not reply. It was true that Guts was a pilot, who also appeared to be a capable fighter, and without the other Children it was either that or do no nothing but pray.

"Guts!" Gendo called out, "are you ready for your first fight with the Angels?"

Guts nodded, smirk still on his face. "You have no idea how much I'm looking forward to this." Inside of his mind, the Black Swordsman was thinking only one thing: 'Now, how do I butcher this Apostle as brutally as possible?'


	6. Chapter 6

**More plot has probably been retconned.**

 **I do not own Evangelion or Berserk.**

* * *

 **Chapter 6**

* * *

The Entry Plug was inserted into the neck of Unit-03. Guts sat in the seat of the Plug, hands gripping the control sticks firmly. Because time was of the essence, he had no time to get fitted for a plugsuit; instead, he was forced to pilot in the clothes he came into this world with. The Interface Headset Gendo had thrown him earlier sat snugly on top of his head.

"Guts, can you hear me?" Misato's voice filled the Entry Plug, and a videofeed of her face appeared off to the side. The swordsman wordlessly nodded his head. Guts' breathing was deep and even, his thoughts on nothing else other than the ensuing fight—he always performed a sort of mental ritual before fighting because it helped to clear his mind.

Misato glanced at Guts' image that was projected across the large monitors in the Command Center. For someone who was about to fight in a life-or-death battle against a giant monster that was hell-bent on destroying the world, he was pretty calm about it.

The Major pressed her finger down on the comms button. "Guts, we're going to fill the Entry Plug with LCL. Don't panic, you'll be able to breathe in it. It helps to sync you with your Eva."

Guts raised an eyebrow. "Able to breathe in it? What does that—" The familiar smell of blood suddenly filled his nose, and a torrent of amber liquid began to rush into the cockpit. The swordsman instinctively held his breath as he was submerged, but then remembered what Misato had told him. Guts cautiously took a breath and, surprisingly enough, found it was almost no different from breathing regular air. 'Strange…' he thought.

"We're bringing the Eva online," Misato told Guts next, "just sit tight." The darkness of the Entry Plug gave way to a series of bright flashing patterns that assaulted Guts' eye, forcing him to squint. After the patterns cycled through each other, Guts could see outside of Unit-03. He watched as the technicians below ran around on the catwalks like ants.

"Unit-03 is online," Ritsuko said. Her eyes were racing through various charts and statistics. So far, everything was running perfectly. She could only pray that it would remain that way.

"The pilot's sync ratio is holding steady at thirty three percent," Maya announced. Misato and Ritsuko whistled at that. It wasn't as good as Shinji's, but for a first-time pilot whose Evangelion wasn't built specifically for him it was still very impressive.

"Prepare for sortie," Misato ordered. The Angel had yet to emerge from the ocean, and she would like for it to be taken care of before it reached land.

Near the Kii Peninsula

Guts would sometimes have a passing thought about what it would be like to fly; well, now he knew. Strapped to the underbelly of a plane, the swordsman watched from ten thousand feet above as the Earth moved slowly beneath him. The plane would pass through the occasional cloud, obstructing his view and forming condensation on the Eva. If it had been any other time, Guts would have found the sensation surreal and calming.

Now wasn't the time for those feelings, however. Misato had given him an ETA of one minute, and Guts spent that time putting his mind into a state of combat. His neck tingled in anticipation.

"You're approaching the drop zone," Misato spoke over the mic. "I'm sorry we have to drop you in like this without any experience, but it's the only way to get to the Angel. Don't worry about landing; the Eva will absorb most of the shock. Once you're on the ground, all you need to do is focus on moving. Shinji and Asuka will arrive shortly to back you up."

The Major nervously picked at a fingernail as she watched Unit-03. The Angel wasn't near any populated areas, so she couldn't understand why the Commander chose to send Guts out right away and not just wait for the other pilots to sortie with him.

'Maybe he's just cocky and wants to flex some muscle at those old bastards at SEELE,' she thought. That alone was an unnecessary risk, though. Guts had no experience piloting and if he failed it would be a PR disaster for NERV. Misato could only hope that the Commander knew something she didn't.

There was no more time to think about the consequences, however—Unit-03 had arrived at the drop zone. "Guts! Your harnesses are being disengaged! Prepare to fall!"

Guts said nothing, only nodding his head in understanding. After the last of the harnesses were cut loose the swordsman drifted away from the plane and down towards the ground. He placed his Eva's arms and legs together and the head up, propelling himself like a missile.

"What is he doing!?" Ritsuko exclaimed, flabbergasted. "Unit-03 can absorb his fall, but not if he crashes into the earth head-first!" The scientist quickly grabbed the microphone from Misato. "Guts! Try to reorient yourself so you land feet-first! Unit-03 and your own body will sustain damage otherwise!"

"That's what I was planning on doing in the first place," he cooly responded. Everyone in the Command Center watched tensely as Guts kept falling and falling. Misato even turned away as she expected the inevitable, one eye cautiously glancing at the screen. Then, right before impact, Guts did a somersault midair and planted the Eva's feet firmly into the ground, crouching to absorb even more of the force. He formed a sizeable crater, but Unit-03 and Guts were both unscratched.

"When the hell did you learn to do that!?" Misato screamed. From his position up top, Gendo smirked. He knew exactly where Guts learned to do that. When the NERV technicians came back with the results from examining his gear, he was pretty surprised himself.

"Using this thing is just like using my left hand," Guts explained. "All I do is imagine it as an extension of my own body. There's a little more to it than that, but I've been doing it for so long that it's second nature by now. I found it out while I was being hooked up to that large metal thing that can fly and just worked on flexing my joints and stuff during the ride."

Misato ran her hand through her hair. She sighed, but a large smile was slowly stretching across her face. "Well, alright then! Go kick some ass!"

Just then, a large explosion sounded from the ocean. Guts turned, and saw a massive burst of seawater shooting upwards. 'There it is,' he thought. Blood trickled down his neck.

The water settled, revealing the Angel for the first time. It was humanoid in shape, with its head sunken into its torso and its arms and legs shaped like an arch. In the center of its body was the core, exposed to the outside world and in plain sight for everyone.

Guts wasted no time. He grabbed the rifle from the back of Unit-03 and began to run towards the Angel at an angle. Misato had given him a brief rundown on how to operate a firearm while he was in-flight, and to Guts it sounded no harder than using a crossbow. He wished they had given him a sword of some type, though; the Prog Knife just didn't cut it.

As the swordsman began to circle around the Angel from a few hundred meters out he lined up the sights while running and pulled the trigger, blasting a stream of bullets out of the barrel.

The bullets hit their mark, and Israfel recoiled slightly as it was hit. They didn't appear to do much, if any, damage, and the Angel recovered quickly. It didn't make a move towards Guts, however, still standing where it first emerged from the water.

Guts paused for a moment to reload. As he slid the new magazine into the rifle he eyed Israfel suspiciously. 'Why isn't it fighting back? Is it mocking me?' The swordsman began to feel himself getting heated at that, but he quickly reigned in his anger.

'No...that's what it wants me to do. It's trying to lure me in.' Guts chewed on the inside of his cheek as he thought of a plan. Ranged weapons didn't appear to have much of an effect, and he didn't have any weapons to effectively fight in close quarters.

A sound overhead briefly drew away Guts' attention. He looked up, seeing two more planes similar to the one he was dropped from. As the planes passed by they left behind two small specks in the sky, which were rapidly becoming larger and more defined as they approached the ground.

'Looks like my backup arrived,' Guts thought. Seconds later, Unit-01 and Unit-02 crashed into the earth.

"Don't worry, Guts," Shinji called out, "we're here to help you!"

'I've been doing just fine by myself so far,' he thought blandly. Guts took notice of his fellow pilots' arsenals. Shinji held a rifle in his Eva's hands, so his loadout was identical to Guts' own; Asuka, however, had a glaive. If they all worked together, the monster could be killed swiftly and—

"Shinji! Guts! Cover me!" Guts was torn from his thoughts as Asuka charged Israfel head-first.

"Wait, stupid!" Guts yelled, "that's what it wants you to do!" Asuka either didn't hear or ignored his warning, as she continued to run towards the Angel at full speed. Guts sighed in annoyance and joined a hesitant Shinji in providing covering fire. 'Oh well, if she dies at least we'll be able to see what this thing is trying to pull.'

The Second Child closed the gap between her and Israfel within seconds. When she got close enough she lunged into the air, raising the glaive over her head in preparation to swing down on the Angel. Still, it did nothing.

'What a waste of resources,' Asuka thought to herself. 'I could have handled this just fine on my own.' With a yell she brought her weapon down. The Angel's body offered surprisingly little resistance, with the blade of the glaive slicing through like a knife through warm butter.

Asuka fully cut through Israfel, its two halves each toppling over into the sea. The red-haired girl smugly gripped her weapon and turned to face her two male copilots. "Piece of cake!" she boasted.

"Nice job, Asuka," Shinji complimented the Second Child.

Guts wasn't paying any attention to Asuka, however. No, he was looking at the "corpse" of the Angel she had just slain, and a spike of pain in his neck told him that it was still very much alive.

"You might want to move," Guts cautioned her.

"What are you talking about?" Asuka replied, "I killed it! I cut it in half!"

There was a noise behind the Second Child. A shadow loomed over Unit 02, and as Asuka slowly turned around she saw, to her horror, that the Angel had not only survived, but also duplicated itself.

Back at Nerv HQ, Misato nearly dropped her coffee mug in shock. "Why does some kind of bullshit always have to come up in every single operation!?" she screamed, tugging on her hair in annoyance. "Can't we just kill one Angel without any trouble!?"

Asuka let out a panicked yell and attempted to run away, but the now twin Israfels suddenly possessed speed not demonstrated earlier. The one Angel in front of Asuka quickly overwhelmed her, using its full bodyweight to plow Unit-02 head-first into the earth.

"Shit," Guts cursed under his breath. He'd fought a lot of different demons and monsters in the past few years, but the ability to create clones was a first for him. The swordsman turned to face Shinji, who was still staring at Asuka's disabled Eva.

"We need to get out of here," Guts said. The other Angel, however, didn't give them the opportunity to do so. It honed in on Shinji and made a beeline for the young pilot, who in his panicked state grasped his Prog Knife in one hand in a desperate attempt to fend off the Israfel twin.

His resistance was futile, however, as the Angel almost effortlessly subdued Shinji in the same way Asuka had been. The one half of Israfel wasted little time, instantly locking eyes with Guts as it stood atop a downed Unit-01. The other half that had defeated Asuka also began closing in on the Black Swordsman.

Guts clicked his tongue in annoyance, trying to find some way out of his current predicament. 'I really wish I had my damn sword…'

The two Angels attacked simultaneously, one on his left and one on his right. They attempted to use the same method used against the Second and Third Children, but Guts was far more experienced than his copilots were at hand-to-hand combat.

With a flick of his wrist Guts equipped his Prog Knife and threw it at the Israfel on his right, embedding the blade deep within its face and forcing it to stumble and miss Unit-03. The Angel dove into the ground, kicking up massive clouds of debris, but Guts had no time to pay it any mind.

He turned to face the other Angel, catching it just before it hit him and driving his fist straight into its face. Israfel's mask cracked, and it was sent tumbling away from Guts.

The Angel Guts had hit with the Prog Knife soon regained its footing and made another lunge at him, knife still lodged in its skin, with the other twin not far behind. Guts grabbed the one Israfel by its arm and threw it over his shoulder, sending it flying into the other Angel and giving the swordsman a moment to breathe as they picked themselves off the ground.

The Command Center was abuzz with energy as everyone watched Guts' impressive bout with the Angels. They were moving so fast that it was hard to keep up with what was happening on the large monitors.

"He's performing beyond our wildest dreams," Ritsuko spoke with praise as she scanned various charts and graphs. Misato said nothing, eyes glued to the fight, but she too was equally impressed with NERV's latest pilot.

Just then, a voice began to speak to Guts through his comms system. "Guts, this is Commander Ikari."

"I don't mean to be rude, Commander," Guts dryly told Gendo, "but my hands are kinda tied at the moment."

The Angels stood up once more, staring Guts down for a brief second before blitzing him head-on. Guts responded by jumping over their bodies right before they connected with Unit-03. The twins stopped, attempting to reorient themselves to face Guts, but the swordsman was faster and turned to take their feet out from underneath them with a sweep of his right leg.

"Yes, I see that," Gendo replied, "which is why I'm going to tell you this: you are going to be rearmed shortly, but you won't be sent any ammunition for your rifle. I am unsure how you manage wield the original, as it took three of my men to simply carry it, but I am confident you will use this weapon to complete the mission. It will arrive shortly, so until then do not die."

Guts raised a brow, momentarily unsure what the Commander was getting at. As realization dawned, however, a wicked grin broke across his face. "Don't worry, Sir, I won't let you down." With that, Gendo closed the comms and sat back in his seat at the Command Center.

Fuyutsuki eyed his partner. "Sir, that thing weighs about as much as two Evangelions combined. We struggled loading it on one of the dropships, so I can't imagine being able to wield it in battle. We've seen Guts carry it on his back, but being able to swing it around is something entirely different."

"Do not worry, Fuyutsuki," Gendo reassured the man, "the strength of the Evangelions scales with the strength of its pilot; put some faith in him, for I am certain he will get the job done."

Guts planted his foot into the abdomen of one of the Israfels, then grabbed the other with both arms and hammered its head down onto his knee. As the Angel Guts kicked away came running back, the swordsman freed his arms and did a backflip over it, allowing the twins to collide and tumble into the ground.

Inside his Entry Plug, Guts dug a finger into his ear. 'These guys aren't the sharpest knives in the drawer,' he thought. So far, almost no strategy had been used against him other than simply attacking directly. Guts stared into the dust cloud that had been kicked up by the Angels, waiting for them to emerge and attack him again. 'I just need to buy time.'

Guts began to feel a rumbling sensation beneath him, as if there was an earthquake. It started faint, and quickly began to increase in intensity. The dust was becoming lighter, but now there was only one silhouette in it instead of two.

"Shit!" Guts swore aloud, now realizing what was happening. He went to jump into the air, but it was too late, and the ground beneath him exploded to reveal the other Israfel which had tunneled underground while it had been concealed. It grabbed onto his leg, trying to pull him down into the earth.

While he was distracted, the Angel on the surface sprinted towards Guts, grabbing his left arm and latching on with all its strength.

"Arrgh!" Guts yelled out in frustration, attempting to pry Israfel off with his free arm. They were surprisingly strong. "Get off me!"

There was a noise overhead, and without even looking relief instantly rushed over Guts as he realized what it was. The stretching of his limbs, however, kept him preoccupied. 'Damn things are trying to rip my arms and legs off.'

He spared a quick glance at the sky; the contrails left by the dropship could be seen, as well as a black speck that was becoming more defined by the second. 'I guess I'll have to time this just right,' Guts thought. The swordsman winced as he continued to feel the strain on his arm and leg from the Angels, but he pulled back with an equal amount of force.

Guts listened to the rush of the wind above him, waiting for the perfect time. Then, in a split second, he extended his right arm and grabbed the hilt of the massive Dragonslayer, swinging it faster than the eye could see and tearing the Israfel that was attached to his arm in half—right through its core. Guts followed through and raised his sword over his head, driving it into the ground like a stake and impaling the other twin from top to bottom along with its core as well. Freed from their grasps, Guts jumped away from the now dead Angels right before they were consumed by a massive explosion.

The Commander Center exploded into cheers. There was excited talk about Guts, particularly that massive heap of raw iron he wielded. Misato stared at the screen, mouth agape. She couldn't believe that a rookie pilot who didn't even know what a lightbulb was until yesterday, let alone an Evangelion, could adapt so fast and kill what were essentially two Angels all on his own. 'Guess he wasn't lying when he said fighting was basically all he did,' she thought, amused.

Turning around, Guts whistled as he looked at the giant crater left behind. "Damn, they usually don't go out that flashy." He lifted the Dragonslayer to hook it onto his back, but when he released the hilt it simply crashed into the ground with a deafening thud. 'Oh yeah, I don't have a harness on this thing,' Guts thought.

His comms system crackled to life. "Guts!" Misato's ecstatic face could be seen on his screen, "You did it! Your first sortie and you killed two Angels!"

Guts waved the compliments aside. "Nah, I've dealt with worse. So...how do I get out of this thing?"

"You'll be taken back to NERV HQ and debriefed there. Also, don't worry about Shinji and Asuka; aside from a few bumps and bruises they're perfectly fine."

'Wow, they actually survived?' Guts thought.

NERV HQ

After returning back to NERV HQ and getting out of their Entry Plugs, Shinji, Asuka, and Guts were all filed into a dimly lit room for their debriefing.

Guts reclined back into his chair; having used the Angel as an outlet for his pent-up anger, he was feeling content for the time being. The other two Children, however, were less than pleased. Asuka sat to the right of the boys, shooting both of them a glare. Guts ignored her entirely, but Shinji replied in-kind with a glare of his own.

"You two completely screwed up my debut battle!" Asuka whined.

"No we didn't!" Shinji said, "You're the one who charged in there like an idiot!"

"How dare you say that! You did absolutely nothing the entire time!"

"You didn't do anything, either! Guts was the one who actually beat them!"

'Don't involve me in this,' the swordsman thought.

"Enough!" Fuyutsuki barked out, ending the pilots' squabble. "Now, what is your job here at NERV?"

'He sounds a little pissed,' Guts thought. While his demeanor appeared calm, there was definitely an edge to Fuyutsuki's voice. The white-haired man's ire wasn't really directed at him, however, rather towards Shinji and Asuka.

"Our job is to pilot the Evas," Asuka answered.

"Wrong! Your job is to defeat the Angels! NERV is not a circus, and will not tolerate grotesque, rash acts such as what you have displayed today. Had it not been for your fellow pilot, the mission would have been a disaster and complete humiliation for this organization. He even tried to warn you before attacking, but still you completely disregarded his warning and decided that your ego was more important than the future of humanity."

Asuka sunk into her chair, muttering under her breath.

"This will not happen again, do you hear? You two will learn how to cooperate with each other in time for the arrival of the next Angel." And with that, Fuyutsuki took his leave.

3 Days Later

"So...what are you doing here, class rep?" Toji asked nonchalantly as he walked between Hikari and Kensuke. The duo hadn't seen Shinji in a couple days, and were beginning to worry about him, so they decided to pay him a visit. Hikari had similar feelings about Asuka, which was why the three of them were now walking down a corridor in Misato's apartment complex.

"I haven't seen Asuka lately," Hikari said, "so I've come to see how she's doing. What are you two stooges doing here?"

"Same deal, but we're here for Shinji," Toji answered. They continued walking in silence, until they all ended up in front of the same door. "Why'd you stop here? This is Shinji's apartment," Toji said as he rang the doorbell at the exact same time Hikari did.

The sound of muffled voices could be heard on the other end of the door, and when it slid open all three students were shocked to see both Shinji and Asuka staring back at them—and in the same clothing no-less.

"What the hell is this!?" Toji recoiled, his and Kensuke's faces showing looks of utter disbelief. Hikari said nothing, but there was a slight twitch in her eye.

"It wasn't our choice," they both answered simultaneously, "Misato is making us do this. We have to eat, sleep, and breathe together to help improve our teamwork."

"You can't do this!" Hikari exclaimed, her face turning a nice shade of pink. "You're living in sin!" A boy and a girl living together? Unmarried? And in middle school? She couldn't believe it.

"Why didn't you tell us you were living with a girl!?" Kensuke cried out, "and with _her,_ no less!" Asuka ground her teeth at that comment.

"Are those your friends?" Misato's voice could be heard from inside the apartment. "Don't be rude; tell them to come on in!"

They stepped inside the apartment, and when the got to the living room they were greeted by the sight of Misato, Rei, and…

"Woah! You're that guy from the aircraft carrier!" Kensuke and Toji yelled, pointing a finger at Guts, who was sitting cross-legged at the coffee table.

Guts nodded his head in greeting. "I'm guessing you two were also on the boat when I was, uhm, discovered?"

"Yeah we were!" Kensuke was getting excited. "You were so tall and mysterious, and you wore all black and had this massive sword on your back! You even managed to punch a hole through the deck of the aircraft carrier! Hey, where is your sword anyways?"

"Kensuke!" Hikari scolded him, "stop asking so many questions! It's rude!" Although, she had to admit, the large man also piqued her curiosity. Hikari had never seen him at school, he appeared too old to attend anyways, and as far as she knew the only Evangelion pilots were Shinji, Asuka, and Rei.

"Excuse me, sir, I don't believe I've met you before. My name is Hikari, I go to school with everyone here." The class rep bowed her head.

"Guts," he answers stoically. Hikari waited for him to continue, but no words followed. He gave off a rather intimidating vibe, and she was beginning to feel a little nervous.

"Uhm," she began nervously, "if you don't mind me asking, how exactly do you know Miss Katsuragi and the others?"

"It's a long story," Guts said, "but basically that old geezer at that NERV place and I have struck a deal; I fight these 'Angels' using this thing called an Evangelion, and in return he'll help me find a way home."

"No way!" Kensuke blurted out, "you're an Eva pilot, too!? Man, everyone's becoming a pilot except for me." Hikari shushed him, but she too was surprised that Guts was a pilot.

"Where do you live?" she asked, "I can't imagine it's terribly hard to buy and plane ticket and—"

"That's why it's a long story," Misato interjected. The less people who got caught up with Guts' problem, the better, she thought.

"O-oh, OK," Hikari said, confused and left with a plethora of questions.

"So…" Toji jerked his head towards Shinji and Asuka, who were trying to dance in synchronization with each other—and failing miserably. "What are these two trying to accomplish here?"

Misato sighed. "The higher-ups, to say the least, weren't pleased with their performance, so I've developed a routine for them that will hopefully improve their teamwork."

"But," Toji said, "didn't you guys defeat the Angel?"

"They didn't," Misato pointed to Guts, "he did. His very first sortie and he fought like a pro! It was incredible! If it wasn't for him, who knows what would have happened. It definitely would have been an absolute nightmare for NERV, that's for sure."

There was a buzzing sound, and everyone in the room turned to stare at Asuka, who seemed just a little irritated, and Shinji, who was sprawled out across his dance mat.

"This is impossible!" The redhead fumed, "I can't work with this bumbling buffoon!"

"You need to slow down!" Shinji spoke up from the floor. "I can't keep up with your movements!"

Guts watched the two teens bicker. A feeling of nostalgia rushed over him, and it was as if he were suddenly sent back to his days as a Hawk, sitting around the campfire at night with everyone.

It always played out like this. He remembered all the good times; Judeau, Pippin, Rickert, Corkus, Casca, all the battles they fought through together, and just the casual bantering that was thrown around. Then, he would inevitably be reminded of _him,_ and that day, and his thoughts would contort into a swirling inferno of rage and despair.

"Guts!" Misato's voice snapped him back to reality. Multiple pairs of eyes were staring at him, and the swordsman was starting to become uncomfortable.

"Hmm?" he hummed.

"I tried asking you something, but you were completely spaced out." She also took notice of the wide range of emotions he displayed. Guts had actually put on a small, genuine smile, something nobody in the room had ever seen before from the generally reserved man. But, his look of content quickly morphed into a deep frown, and visible anger became prominent on his features. He was probably reliving some bad memories, so Misato decided that it wouldn't be a good idea to bring them up right now.

"What do you want?" the swordsman asked coldly.

"Nevermind," Misato said. The purple-haired woman turned to Rei. "Rei, would you please trade places with Asuka?"

"Yes Ma'am," the girl answered quietly. She took her spot on her dance mat next to Shinji, and Misato started the routine again. To Asuka's disbelief, Rei moved with Shinji almost perfectly. Tears threatened to well up in her eyes, and the redhead quickly fled the room without a word.

"Asuka!" Hikari called out to her friend, but she was only met with the sound of the sliding door slamming shut. The class rep shot a glare at Shinji. "Shinji! What are you doing? Follow her!"

"W-why?" he asked, confused.

"You made a girl cry! Take responsibility!" Hikari cried. Shinji hesitated for a second, but he eventually stood up and went to see Asuka.

'Women,' Guts thought. It was obvious to him that they were both at fault, but it wasn't his problem, so he wasn't going to do anything about it. Besides, he had bigger things to think about, like the apostles that were following him into this world. The Black Swordsman was also beginning to develop a theory that would help him get back to Midland.

'I came to this world through one of the Angels,' Guts thought, 'so they must be the only way out.'


	7. Chapter 7

**Merry Christmas.**

 **I do not own Evangelion or Berserk.**

* * *

 **Chapter 7**

* * *

The daily routine for Guts was usually a slog of blood, death, and despair. For years he had fought the apostles and hunted down the God Hand; not a day went by when the Black Swordsman wasn't swinging his sword. His thoughts usually operated on a one-track mind: kill everything that stood in his way. Guts was constantly on high alert for attacks from the restless souls of the dead, always awaiting that sensation on the back of his neck. He was driven by nothing but bloodlust and sheer willpower.

The past few days, however, had been...odd for the swordsman. His usual life of carnage was put on the back burner in this strange world, replaced by days of seemingly carefree bliss. It was an alien feeling to Guts, and he was having a hard time acclimating.

Sure, there were the Angels to worry about, but if they were worrying nobody ever showed it. The people of Tokyo-3 gave off an entirely different vibe compared to the average Midland villager, where catastrophes such as starvation and war were commonplace.

"You've got to try this restaurant out! They make some of the best burgers in the city!" Guts sighed and followed his "tour guide". After Israfel had been killed and the dust settled, Asuka had made it her personal mission to show him "the wonders of the modern world", as she liked to put it. So, for the past few days, he had been following Shinji and Asuka around the city.

Really, Guts wasn't all that interested. Sure, the food tasted good, video games were a neat little gimmick, and the music sounded nice, but none of that would help him return home. He couldn't do much until the next Angel attacked, however, and he'd probably die of boredom from staying in Misato's apartment all day, so the swordsman decided to follow along to help kill the time.

The stares weren't helping him, either. Guts was a good deal larger than everyone else he passed on the streets, both in height and muscle mass, so naturally their eyes were drawn to him. "It also doesn't help that your wardrobe is hideous," Asuka told him when she noticed the looks he was getting. She had made an attempt to buy him some new clothes, but Guts refused; he was perfectly content wearing his dark tank top and black pants from his home world.

The three pilots ate lunch at the restaurant Asuka wanted to go to. It was a rather uneventful affair, as most of these outings were, with Guts remaining practically silent and Shinji and Asuka engaging in only small conversation. Guts didn't know what Shinji said to Asuka when she left the room that day, but they did seem to, at the very least, tolerate each other a little better lately. He didn't care about their relationship, it just made it bearable to be around them. After they finished eating, Asuka decided to call it a day and head back to the apartment, since they had to get ready for the class trip tomorrow.

"What's this trip she's talking about?" Guts asked Shinji as they walked behind Asuka.

"Our school is taking us to an island called Okinawa. We're supposed to be staying at an oceanfront resort, and I heard that it's supposed to be very nice, but…"

Guts spared a look at Shinji, waiting for the boy to continue. Their conversation, however, was suddenly derailed by a shriek from Asuka.

"I have to go in here!" the redhead declared, pushing her way through the entrance. "I need a new bikini for the trip to Okinawa!"

"What's a bikini?" Guts asked Shinji, who was starting to look like he'd rather be anywhere else in the world. Nevertheless, the two men followed Asuka into the store.

"Asuka likes to keep up with her appearance," Shinji said. "Don't bother trying to stop her; once her mind is set on something, it's pretty much impossible to change it. Also, you'll see what a bikini is in a little bit."

They sat on one of the small benches in front of the changing rooms. Asuka flew around the store like a whirlwind, grabbing any swimsuit that caught her eye and trying it on immediately. She would step out of the changing room in various bikinis, striking a pose and asking Shinji and Guts what they thought. Shinji would always turn red in the face, stuttering out something along the lines of, "Y-yeah, Asuka, it looks g-good on you." Guts, on the other hand, simply stared at her with no reaction.

'Does nothing phase this man?' Asuka thought, annoyed by Guts' lack of a response. 'There's a beautiful woman showing off her body right in front of you, for Christ's sake!'

'Do they really allow girls to dress like this in this world?' Guts thought, unimpressed. 'You're also like half my age, so stop trying so hard.'

Eventually, Asuka picked out something she liked, and with no further delays they headed back to Misato's apartment. The Second Child walked down the street with a slight spring in her step, humming a soft tune to herself. Asuka's mood quickly soured, however, when she caught sight of Shinji's rather downcasted expression.

"What bit your ass?" she teased him. "We're going to Okinawa tomorrow! After all the shit we've done, we deserve a break like this! Quit being so damn depressed all the time, it's annoying."

"Well," Shinji muttered, "it's just that…" It didn't matter what he said, because Asuka had already increased her pace, abandoning him and Guts.

Moments Later

"What!?"

Guts fought the urge to plug his ears at Asuka's outburst; her constant screeching was really starting to grate on his nerves. Right before the Second Child was about to show off what she purchased, Misato dropped the hammer and bluntly stated that all pilots were on standby, and therefore could not go on the class trip to Okinawa.

"This is ridiculous! Shinji! Guts! Say something!" Asuka turned to her male roommates, desperate for one of them to back her up. Guts just met her with a blank stare, while Shinji examined the ground without a word.

Asuka was fuming. "You two are pitiful! Stand up for yourselves!"

"It doesn't matter anyways," Shinji meekly said, "I was already kind of expecting Misato to say something like this."

"Yup!" their guardian chimed in. "Also, you two need to spend the time studying, _not_ playing." She held up two pieces of paper—their report cards. Asuka said nothing, knowing there was no getting out of it now.

'Dammit,' the redhead cursed, 'I thought we hid those from her pretty well.'

"Oh yeah, one more thing:" Everyone's ears perked up. "Guts, some people from NERV stopped by while you guys were out and dropped off your gear. They told me everything was left as it was found, and there wasn't any practical use to store it at HQ, so now it's sitting in my room. I don't know how you can carry such a—" Guts walked past the purple-haired woman and slid open the door to her room. 'Would it kill you to listen to someone until they finish speaking?' Misato pouted in her head.

Relief spread through Guts. Just as she said, everything was there, including the Dragonslayer, which was propped against the back wall. His armor was in a neat pile in front of the sword, along with his dagger, sash of throwing knives, and satchel.

Asuka and Shinji stood behind Guts, marveling at the size of the weapon. "You can actually use that thing?" Asuka asked, skeptical.

"Yup," Guts answered. To prove his point he walked over and grabbed the hilt of the sword one-handed, effortlessly maneuvering it over his head while being careful not to cut the ceiling and pointing the tip just inches from Asuka's face. The blade was so long, it reached across the entirety of Misato's room. The redhead shivered and took a few paces back. Misato and Shinji stared in awe.

Guts leaned the Dragonslayer back against the wall. He got down on his knees and opened the satchel, checking to make sure _it_ was there. After doing some digging, the familiar egg shape of the Behelit greeted his eyes. 'Good,' he thought; the Behelit would be his one-way ticket back to Midland.

"The hell is that thing? It's creepy." Guts shot Asuka, who was now looking over his shoulder, a glare, indicating that it was rude to snoop through a person's belongings like that. Still, he held it up with his hand for everyone to see.

"It's a Behelit," Guts explained, a sinister smile spreading across his face. "In return for sacrificing what's most precious to you, this thing will turn you into a demon."

There was silence for a moment, but then Misato burst out laughing. "Hahaha! That's hilarious! You should tell jokes more often, Guts! I like this dark, comical side of you!"

"Yeah, what a bunch of crap," Asuka haughtily agreed with her guardian. "That's like something out of a cheesy fantasy book."

Shinji, however, was unnerved. He remembered what Guts had told him about the Brand on his neck, and the demons that haunted him because of it. There hadn't been any instances of that since Guts arrived in Tokyo-3, so the Third Child wasn't sure how much truth there was to the swordsman's claim, but the thought of the catalyst for turning someone into one of those demons just sitting in his apartment wasn't pleasant. 'And judging by their reactions,' Shinji glanced at Asuka and Misato, 'Guts hasn't told them yet...oh well, I guess it's for the best. Nothing has happened since he's arrived here, anyways.'

Guts put the Behelit back in the bag and closed it up, but not before Asuka could get another peek inside. She took notice of a drawing of a woman sketched out onto a square piece of stained paper.

"Who's the girl?" The Second Child asked. She was met with a dirty look from Guts. 'Jeez, what did I do now?' Asuka thought.

"Mind your own damn business. She's nobody who concerns you."

"Ooooohhhh?" Misato put a finger to her lips, giving the Black Swordsman a playful look. "Got a girl back home, eh? What's her name? Is she pretty? Is she good in bed?" Guts kept a stone face, but on the inside he was facepalming at Misato for jumping to such a drastic conclusion.

Hiding his thoughts, Guts snorted. "Her name is Casca, and that's all I'm gonna tell you."

"Casca?" Misato purred, "that sounds _exotic."_ Guts inwardly pictured himself running the Major through with his sword.

The Next Day

A dark cloud hung over the pilots, particularly Asuka, as they silently watched the plane that was carrying all their friends to Okinawa take off from the airport. Guts sat at a table by the window, feeling somewhat awkward as the Second and Third Children brooded. Rei sat opposite of the swordsman with her typical emotionless expression.

The blue-haired girl was an enigma to Guts. She appeared capable, but Rei never smiled, never frowned, hardly ever spoke, and followed orders by the book. It pissed him off, quite frankly. Someone who acted like a dog with no will of their own didn't deserve their life in Guts' eyes.

Despite his inner conflicts with the First Child, however, Guts was bored out of his mind, and since he couldn't swing his sword he needed something else to pass the time.

"Hey," Guts spoke out to Rei, propping his elbow up on the table and resting his chin in his palm. "Aren't you bummed you can't go and play with your little buddies?"

Rei's gaze never left the window. "While a vacation would be satisfactory, if it is Commander Ikari's orders I shall stay back here on the mainland and prepare for the next Angel attack."

"What's your deal with that guy, anyways? Why do you like him so much?" Guts was honestly somewhat curious about Rei's relationship with the Commander. He had only seem the two of them together a handful of times, but when he did it was like the blue-haired girl put the man on some kind of pedestal.

Rei turned her attention away from the window and towards the floor, a rare, small smile adorning her lips. "It is because...Commander Ikari saved me. He is an admirable man, and while he may appear at first to be cold, Commander Ikari is very caring and understanding once you get to know him."

A rush of air was blown out of Guts' nose. Rei perked her head up to look at him. Guts' face was one of both amusement and annoyance. "Yeah, right," he said. "I don't know what he did to you to get you to believe that, but guys like that where I'm from are a dime a dozen. They're all only thinking for themselves and trampling over everyone to get what they want, just like…" Feeling his temper beginning to flare, Guts stopped himself.

The rare emotion of anger welled up inside of Rei. "How dare you say such a thing," she said, her voice still low. "Commander Ikari created NERV for the sole purpose of protecting the Earth and its inhabitants from destruction by the Angels. He took you in, and yet you disrespect him so?"

Guts stared straight-faced at the girl. "That bastard didn't take me in out of the goodness of his heart; no, he definitely wants something. He tries to play it off, act like I'm his buddy or some shit, but I see through him."

Rei whipped her hand towards his face, but Guts effortlessly caught it by the wrist without so much as blinking. The swordsman gave the appendage a light squeeze, making the First Child wince slightly.

"Believe in your precious Commander all you want, it aint my life to waste. But just know that that little promise he made to me about finding a way home was a blatant lie, and I will find a way back without his or anyone else's help."

Guts' grip on Rei's wrist lessened, and the girl retracted her arm back to her lap. The two sat in silence for a small period of time, neither looking at the other.

"How do you know?" Rei asked quietly, breaking the peace. "How do you know if Commander Ikari cannot be trusted? Perhaps those in your homeland are deceitful, but here—"

Bitter laughter cut Rei off. Her face remained neutral, but a sliver of confusion could be seen in her eyes.

"Don't give me that crap," Guts said, his face becoming serious. "Humans are humans— where they live doesn't mean shit. The Commander might protect you now, but when the time comes he will stab you in the back without a second thought."

Rei wanted to retort again, but the sound of Asuka's voice from behind cut her off.

"Hey! You two!" she called out. "We're leaving!" Without even waiting for a reply the Second Child turned on her heels and walked towards the exit. Shinji followed in tow, tossing a glance over his shoulder at Guts and Rei.

Guts slid his chair back and stood up. The swordsman passed by Rei, paying her no attention as he went to catch up with the other Children. Rei remained seated, eyes downcast towards the table and brow furrowed in a storm of unfamiliar emotions.

"There's no way…" The First Child told herself.

At the Pool

Misato had to report to NERV for work, but Asuka didn't want to waste the day away so she dragged everyone else down to the pool. It was no Okinawa—the summer Sun was replaced with humming UV lights and the smell of the ocean substituted for chlorine—but it at the very least helped to distract her for the depressing thoughts of being excluded from the school trip.

At least, it would if anyone else would interact with her in any way.

Rei was also in the water, but she was off swimming laps alone. 'Typical Wondergirl,' Asuka thought as she watched her push off the wall to swim another length of the pool. The boys, not particularly even wanting to be there in the first place, sat off to the side in their regular clothes. Shinji busied himself with studying on his laptop, while Guts laid back in one of the lounge chairs counting the tiles on the wall.

Asuka swam up to the edge in front of Shinji and Guts, resting her arms on the pool deck. "Come on, you two! The water feels great!"

"I don't care for the water," Guts said, eyes moving on to the next row of tiles.

"Sorry Asuka, but I'm busy studying right now." Shinji also refused to make eye contact with the fiery redhead.

Asuka's brow twitched in annoyance. "God, why do all the guys around me have to be so damn boring?" she said mostly to herself, although it was just loud enough for her male counterparts to hear as well. Not getting any further reactions, Asuka pulled herself out of the pool and walked towards Shinji, leaning over to see his laptop screen. "What'cha studying?" the Second Child asked playfully.

Shinji shrunk back into his chair. "Thermal expansion," he stated flatly. With the way Asuka was standing, Shinji had a clear line of sight of her cleavage, making him blush and avert his gaze.

"Thermal expansion? That's baby stuff! Objects expand when they're heated." As an example, Asuka cupped her breasts. "Do you think my chest would get larger if it was heated?" she asked in an innocent tone.

A deep shade of scarlet took over Shinji's face. "H-h-how w-would I know a-anything l-like t-that!?" he sputtered, wishing he could simply slide underneath the table and never come out.

Asuka pouted. "Hmph, you're no fun." Eyeing Guts, the redhead put on her best strut as she made her way over to him. "What do you think, Guts? Would my boobs be bigger if they were warmer?"

Not wanting to be seduced by a teenager, the Black Swordsman continued staring at the ceiling for a moment before looking at her with mock surprise. "Huh? Did you say something?"

"Argh!" She threw her hands up in defeat. "Fine, I guess I'll have to entertain myself!" Asuka stomped over to the deep end, climbing up onto the diving board. Before she jumped off, the Second Child took notice of Shinji staring at Rei. "Shinji! Guts! Look at me!" she exclaimed as she executed a flawless dive.

Guts sat up in the chair, his limbs making audible popping sounds as he stretched his body. The swordsman stood up and began to make his way towards the pool's exit. 'I'm not going to get anywhere just sitting here,' he thought.

"Hey! Guts! Where are you going?" Shinji called out.

"To train," Guts answered, not even looking back at the Third Child.

Confusion spread across Shinji's brow. "What do you mean, 'train'? We don't have our next sync test for another few days."

"Not that training," Guts told him, his voice a dim echo as he walked up the stairs and out of Shinji's view. Shinji sat still for a couple minutes, debating whether or not he should finish studying or follow Guts. Ultimately, his curiosity won out in the end, and Shinji threw his computer into his bag and went to find the Black Swordsman.

Shinji first made his way back to the apartment, but Guts was nowhere to be found there. He was about to go back to the pool, but as he passed Misato's room he noticed through the slim opening in the doorway that the massive slab of iron Guts called a sword was missing. It was also around this same time that the brown-haired boy heard the faint sound of chopping wood.

Following his ears, Shinji found himself being led to the backside of the apartments, a place he had never really ventured before because it always appeared so run down. The noise kept getting louder, and when the Third Child rounded a corner of the building he saw Guts standing out in the middle of an old, overgrown courtyard swinging his sword through the air.

Not wanting to disturb him, Shinji remained half-hidden behind the wall and simply watched. Well, he tried to watch, since Guts was swinging his sword so fast it was virtually impossible to see exactly what he was doing. The Angels were a sight to behold, true, but to Shinji seeing a human move like Guts did was far more impressive to him.

'This is insane,' Shinji thought in awe. 'Nobody should be that fast.' Looking away for just a second, Shinji saw a slew of dead tree stumps littered around the area, left behind after excavation to build the apartment complex. Some of them were noticeably shorter than others, and their tops were cleanly cut compared to the ones that appeared to be just rotting out. It was almost as if…

'No way. He couldn't have, could he?'

Then, as if right on cue, Guts pivoted on his feet and with a single, effortless swing sliced right through one of the dead trees, splitting it in half and sending the top flying into the air. He stopped his movements, resting the Dragonslayer on his shoulder as he looked around.

"What do you want?" Guts called out.

Shinji flinched. 'He didn't even look in my direction. How did he know I was here?' The Third Child stepped out from behind the wall. "S-sorry, Guts. I was just curious where you went, so I tried looking for you in Misato's apartment, but then I saw your sword was missing, and I heard you out here—"

Guts waved his explanation off. "Yeah, yeah, I don't really mind if you watch me—just don't get in my way."

"U-understood," Shinji nodded his head. His eyes were drawn once more to the massive blade the Black Swordsman was holding. "How can you move like that? That sword can't be very light."

Guts glanced at his trusty weapon and shrugged. "Practice. My sword weighs about as much as several grown men, but after using it for so long it's basically another part of my body at this point."

"Wouldn't it be more practical to use something a little...smaller?"

Guts shook his head. "With the things I'm hunting, sometimes it feels like it's not big enough." Deciding that was the end of the conversation, the swordsman latched the Dragonslayer to his back and started to walk back to the apartment. Shinji stared at him for a brief period of time before running to catch up.

The Next Day - NERV HQ

"What's the deal with this one?" Asuka asked nonchalantly as she sat in a briefing room with her fellow pilots. They had all received an early morning wake up call from Misato this morning, and while Asuka was far from pleased about her sleep being robbed from her she quickly perked up when she was told there was an Angel sighting. She was _not_ going to let anyone mess up her battle this time.

Fuyutsuki shot the Second Child a stern glance, still displeased with her previous debacle and rather carefree attitude about the entire situation. "There has been an Angel sighted in the crater of Mount Asma, approximately 140 kilometers from Tokyo-3. Unlike the rest of the Angels, however, this one has yet to hatch, leaving it in a vulnerable state. Your mission is to go into the volcano and capture the Angel alive."

"Alive!?" Asuka challenged, "wouldn't it be easier to just kill it? Why do you need it alive?"

"That is not of your concern, pilot Soryu." Asuka slumped in her chair, mumbling to herself. "Now," Fuyutsuki continued, "we will need a volunteer to wear a special plugsuit designed to withstand extreme pressure and dive into the lava to retrieve the Angel."

Asuka was about to put her hand up, but to the shock of everyone in the room she was beaten to the punch by someone else.

"I'll do it," Guts said.

"Yeah, Guts!" Misato cheered from behind, "way to step up to the plate!"

Fuyutsuki ignored the Major's outburst and mulled over Guts' decision. The swordsman's extraterrestrial status still brought about concern for his loyalty to both NERV and the Earth itself; after all, this wasn't his home, what would he care if his actions led to the death of the planet's inhabitants.

Thinking back, however, Fuyutsuki recalled the impressive fight Guts had with the previous Angels. Had it not been for Guts, the operation would have been a complete disaster and NERV would be humiliated. There was also Gendo's promise to the Black Swordsman, and seeing how Guts was desperate to return home he would have to uphold his end of the bargain if he wanted the Commander's help.

Fuyutsuki nodded his head towards Guts. "Very well, Guts. We will put the task in your hands. Follow Major Katsuragi so she can further debrief you on how to use the diving equipment to enter the volcano."

Guts stood and made his way towards the exit of the debriefing room, where an ecstatic Misato was waiting for him. The two made their ways down the corridor, leaving the other three Children alone with Fuyutsuki.

"As for the rest of you," the Vice Commander recaptured their attentions, "get suited up and ready to move out. You will depart for Mount Asma in approximately one hour. That is all." With that, Fuyutsuki took his leave and left the room without another word.

"That was rather unexpected of Guts," Shinji said, staring at the empty chair next to him that Guts had been sitting in. In the entirety of the swordsman's stay in Tokyo-3, the Third Child always saw Guts look at everything with such apathy. It seemed obvious to Shinji that Guts didn't really care about their world, so seeing him volunteer like that came as quite the surprise.

Asuka, on the other hand, was fuming. "How _dare_ that bastard steal my thunder like that! First he interferes with my first battle as an Eva pilot, and now he steals the spotlight by selflessly volunteering to dive into a volcano and capture a live Angel. That was supposed to be my job! Mine!"

"Perhaps we should set aside our personal feelings and believe in Guts' success," Rei interjected. "He appeared capable enough during the previous Angel battle, so I have faith he will carry out the mission without failure."

Asuka looked like she wanted to murder her fellow female pilot. "Fuck off, Wondergirl! Nobody cares what you think! God, why is everyone always against me!?" The redhead stormed off, muttering strings of curses.

Without the Second Child, the briefing room became eerily quiet. The two remaining pilots sat in an extended period of silence, staring straight ahead at the wall. Shinji, becoming slightly uncomfortable, began to twiddle his thumbs.

"We should get ready," Rei said, finally breaking the quiet atmosphere.

Shinji jumped. "Huh? Y-yeah, we should. See you, Ayanami." The First Child nodded, and both teenagers walked to their respective changing rooms to change into their plugsuits.

Mount Asma

Asuka was rarely intimidated by anyone in her life. Not her parents, her teachers, or even Commander Ikari himself instilled any sense of fear or unease in the redhead. She prided herself in the fact that she could butt heads with anyone without breaking a sweat.

Then Asuka met Guts. The man had never actually done anything to her, but something about him sent chills down her spine. When they would lock gazes, Asuka could see a storm of raging, unmatched intensity in the swordsman's lone eye that always forced her to look away every.

The Second Child couldn't help but let out a hearty laugh when she saw him at Mount Asma, however. Guts was wearing the diving suit that would allow him to enter the volcano, but looks were definitely not top priority when it was being designed. The Black Swordsman looked like he had put on a couple hundred pounds at least, and his tall stature made his appearance even more comical.

"Bwahaha! I'm really glad I don't have to go into the volcano now! Oh God, imagine if Kaji saw me in that thing!" Asuka began to have a mini panic attack as she pictured her beloved seeing her as morbidly obese. Guts, meanwhile, stood off to the side with his typical hardened expression. He didn't care what he looked like, but he did have to admit the suit was pretty uncomfortable to move around in.

'I hope this doesn't interfere with anything,' Guts thought.

"I know it looks silly," Misato said, "but unless you want to be turned into a pancake it's necessary to wear. We also put a similar suit on your Eva, but don't worry—despite its form it's been designed so your movements won't be inhibited during combat. You won't even remember you're wearing it half the time." The Major clapped her hands. "Now, get ready to sortie!"

The pilots scattered to get to their Evangelions. When the Children had cleared the room, Misato flopped into her office chair and pushed her heel against the floor of the mobile HQ, spinning herself in circles.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Misato leaned her head over the back of the chair, staring at an upside-down image of Ritsuko typing away at a terminal.

"Think of the valuable data that could be had from studying a live Angel," Ritsuko said, eyes never leaving the screen. "We could possibly save humanity if we're lucky; besides, the Commander gave the order, so we don't really have much of a choice anyways."

Misato sighed. "That is true," she said, giving herself another spin on the chair.

"I believe," Ritsuko said, "the real question we should be asking ourselves is why Guts is dressed up to storm a castle underneath the diving suit." When Guts first arrived at the base of the volcano, he was already wearing his full battle attire, complete with the massive Dragonslayer on his back. It was as if he was going to challenge the Angel on foot.

"Yeah, it's a little weird," Misato agreed, "but he told me it was like some kind of good luck charm. It still fits under the suit, so as long as he can still pilot no harm no foul."

"The Entry Plugs have been inserted," Aoba called out. "Units 00, 01, 02, and 03 are online!"

"Perfect," Misato said, sitting upright. "Is Guts in position?"

"Yes. He's ready to be lowered in any second."

Asuka's voice chimed in over the comms. "What's with all the planes?" she asked. A cluster of bombers flew overhead, circling the NERV crew like vultures. The Second Child assumed they were there to help assist them in capturing the Angel.

"That's the U.N.," Misato explained, "and they're here to drop an N2 mine on us if there is a risk of the Angel escaping." Asuka didn't say anything else on the mic after that.

In Unit-03, Guts hung suspended by a crane over the crater of the volcano. His view was slightly obstructed because of the suit, but he could still see the pool of lava he was about to submerge himself into several hundred meters below. Still, like always, Guts remained calm and ready. 'I hope this works,' the swordsman thought. He was denied the Dragonslayer that was built for his Eva, on the grounds that it was too cumbersome and may get caught on the cables that would be lowering him. Instead, all Guts had to work with was a Prog Knife and a special net that was designed specifically for capturing the Angel. The feeling of going into a fight and not having his weapon of choice left the Black Swordsman with a sense of nakedness.

A video feed of Misato popped up in Guts' peripheral vision. "Guts, can you hear me?" she asked.

"Loud and clear," he answered.

"We're about to lower you. Are you ready?"

Guts nodded his head, gripping the long metal pole of the net in his Eva's hands. He felt a violent jolt rattle Unit-03's body, and slowly yet steadily the pool of lava began to creep closer.

Even though he was wearing the protective suit, Guts still flinched slightly when the sensation of his feet making first contact with the lava reached him in the Entry Plug. Expecting to feel a burning sensation, the swordsman instead felt absolutely nothing at all. It was as if he was floating in a pool of extra thick water. Unit-03 kept sinking deeper and deeper into the lava.

Back on the surface, Asuka let out a dramatic sigh. The remaining pilots were told to remain on standby, and they were to act only in the case of an emergency. Naturally, this led to the Second Child becoming extremely bored. She tried to strike up a conversation with someone, but Rei and everyone at HQ were currently in mission mode and Shinji was being his usual quiet-self.

"Hey, Guts," Asuka said, "what's it like down there?"

"Dark," was Guts' blunt reply. As soon as the head of Unit-03 went under the lava, Guts' vision went black as he was shrouded in darkness. This was expected, and after a few seconds of nothingness the Eva's flood lights flashed to life. While the lights certainly helped, however, the Black Swordsman still couldn't see more than an arm's-length away.

As Guts continued to dive deeper into the volcano, the pressure exerted on his suit increased greatly. He would often hear it groan as it fought against the lava to prevent him from being crushed and incinerated simultaneously.

Roughly ten minutes after he was first lowered into Mount Asma, Guts came to a stop. "Do you see anything yet?" Misato asked. Looking at her chart, Guts was at the exact coordinates where the Angel was supposed to be. But instead of an Angel, all Unit-03's video feed was showing was a dark void in every direction.

"Nothing here," Guts answered, turning his head around.

Misato tapped a pen against her cheek. The only logical option was to continue Unit-03's descent, but they were already starting to push the limits of the diving suit; Guts' life would be at a much higher risk if he went any deeper.

'Still, we can't just leave an Angel sitting at the bottom of a volcano,' the purple-haired Major thought. She put the microphone up to her mouth: "Guts, we're going to need to go deeper to find the Angel. Are you OK with that?"

"Yeah, keep doing what you're doing," Guts said, still seemingly uncaring as ever. The cables began to move, and once more Guts was sent sinking.

As Misato stared at the depth counter on one of the screens, she began to become more and more tense as the number continued to grow. Was Guts' suit going to hold? Will the cables snap? Is the Angel even still in the volcano? All these questions raced through her mind.

Guts was also beginning to worry, but for entirely different reasons. He was starting to doubt if the Angel was actually here, and if it wasn't he would have to wait even longer for the next sighting to—

Movement to the swordsman's left caught his eye. It was quick, and nobody else seemed to notice it, but Guts knew what he saw. "It's near," he said.

Everyone's ears perked up. "The Angel?" Misato exclaimed. "Where? Where is it!?"

"It's to my left, right about…" Guts twisted Unit-03's torso, whipping it around to face the Angel. "...here." His neck tingled in anticipation.

It looked like a fossil. Sandalphon had no visible limbs on its body, and its lone, unblinking eye stared lifelessly at the Eva in front of it. Guts' was mere meters away, but the Angel appeared to simply float harmlessly in the lava.

"Great!" Misato pumped her fist, "you found it! Now just put it in the net and we'll raise you back up!"

'Capture it? I don't think so,' Guts thought, ignoring the Major's orders. He went to grab the hilt of his Prog Knife, but before he could a deep, animalistic roar resonated throughout the volcano and Guts' Entry Plug. The noise was so loud, all NERV personnel on the surface could hear it as well.

"What the hell?" Guts said through gritted teeth; his Brand spurted blood, making his neck spasm. Right in front of him, Sandalphon began to grow and morph dramatically. A tail blindsided the swordsman, knocking out Unit-03's floodlights.

"Guts!" Misato yelled, watching his screen go dark, "what's happening!? Are you alright!?" The Angel had also knocked out the audio feed; static was the only sound being sent back to HQ.

"Unit-01 and Unit-02 are moving towards the opening of the volcano!" Maya called out.

"What!?" Misato rushed over to where Maya was sitting. On the lieutenant's monitor, Shinji could be seen running in a full sprint, with Asuka not far behind.

Misato was sent into a frenzy. "Shinji! Asuka!" she shrieked into the mic, "what the hell are you two doing!? I order you to stop!" Her orders fell on deaf ears, and she watched helplessly as the two Evas dove into the volcano with no protective gear.

"Reverse the cables! Get Guts out of that volcano now!" The purple-haired woman stared at the black monitor with a look of distress. Three of the four pilots were in the volcano fighting the Angel, and she had no way of seeing if they were winning or not.

Guts did his best to settle into a combat stance, but his bulky gear and lack of solid ground was making it difficult. He was also completely blind, so the swordsman was relying entirely on his ears to fight.

Sandalphon was much faster and more agile in the lava, and every time Guts got his bearings it would swim by and slam its body into Unit-03, sending it tumbling. "Goddamn bastard," the Black Swordsman muttered, "quit toying with me!" Guts blindly slashed his Prog Knife in a wide arc in front of him, knicking Sandalphon in the arm with its tip. The Angel let out another roar and barreled into Unit-03, its limbs wrapping themselves around the Eva and digging into the suit.

Guts growled in frustration. "If they could drop me my sword like last time, I'd really appreciate it." He kicked the Angel off of his body, and Sandalphon swam back around for another go at him.

"Come on, come on…" Guts floated, motionless, waiting. A sound from behind made his ears twitch, and with a swift turn the Black Swordsman drove his fist straight into Sandalphon's head.

The Angel let out a cry of pain, but it didn't lose any momentum and wrapped its body around Guts once more. It beat against the Eva in a fury, and with its one arm grabbed Unit-03's right arm and ripped it off at the elbow.

Pain shot through Guts' arm, and because of the darkness he thought he had actually lost the limb for a second. The swordsman flexed his fingers, however, and to his immediate relief discovered that his arm was still intact.

Guts used his Eva's good arm and wrapped it around Sandalphon's back, pressing the Angel against him in an attempt to crush it. The Angel howled and thrashed, trying to break free, but Guts held it in place and kept squeezing harder.

Unit-03 jerked suddenly, but it wasn't because of Sandalphon. Inside the Entry Plug, Guts began to feel like he was being dragged upwards.

'They're trying to bring me back,' Guts thought. The Angel in his grasp continued to struggle, but it made no progress. He would take it to the surface where he could see and finish it off there.

Then, Guts saw a light above him. 'I'm already this close to the surface?' he thought, confused. Another light followed behind the first one, but they moved too fast before Guts could put two-and-two together.

A huge force smashed into Guts and the Angel, causing it to roar in anguish. The lights illuminated Sandalphon's horrible features for a brief second, revealing a Prog Knife that was jammed straight through its skull. Even though it was submerged in lava, the Angel's blood seeped out of its wound and drifted around Unit-03.

Guts' felt a vibration in his chest, and a hellish scream was unleashed.

Minutes Later - Mount Asma

Misato's foot tapped wildly as she stood outside, her gaze locked onto the summit of Mount Asma. The Major had heard nothing from any of the pilots in the volcano since the Angel attacked, and with every passing second her anxiety continued to increase.

"Calm down, Misato," Ritsuko told her colleague, lighting a cigarette. "Their comms systems went down, so that's why we haven't heard anything from them." She placed a hand on Misato's shoulder. "The Children have been through worse. I'm sure they're all fine."

A strained smile found itself on Misato's lips. "Yeah, I guess you're right, Rits. Three Evangelions against one Angel is hardly a fair fight any—"

The door to the mobile HQ flew open, interrupting Misato. A panicked Maya stood at the doorway.

"They're gone!" she shouted. "All of them! The Entry Plugs are empty!"


	8. Chapter 8

**Merry Christmas Part 2**

 **I know some won't like the direction this story took, but for me at least writing about the Eva kids living in the Hell that is Guts' world is more engaging. Because of this, some of the stuff I may have tried to set up in the beginning might be ignored. I'll try my best to tie up loose ends, however, and this most likely won't be the last you'll see of the Evangelion world.**

 **I do not own Evangelion or Berserk.**

* * *

 **Chapter 8**

* * *

When Guts awoke, he felt the cool, damp earth pressing against his back. His head throbbed, and he moved his hand to nurse the pain.

"Ugh, shit...what happened?" he quietly asked himself. Guts' vision was a blurred mess when he first opened his eyes, but they slowly adjusted themselves, revealing a pink-tinted sky with clouds that were streaked with orange. Crickets chirped all around him, and the rank smell of blood invaded his nose.

Wait—blood?

Guts flung himself up into a sitting position. His head painfully protested, but he blocked it out; there were far more pressing matters at hand.

The Black Swordsman surveyed his surroundings. He was currently in the middle of a clearing, with trees encircling him on all sides. That wasn't anything unusual, but what was unusual were the pools of blood and piles of guts littering the ground. Off to the side, the corpse of a shriveled old man lay rotting, his innards picked at and strewn about by buzzards. The scene looked awfully familiar to Guts…

Then it hit him. The other world, the Evangelions, Mount Asma, the Angel, they all came hurtling back into his brain. The overflow of information increased Guts' migraine tenfold, but instead of grimacing he broke out into a fit of manic laughter.

It worked! It actually worked! Guts reached into his shirt and pulled out the Behelit. Its expression looked as dormant as ever, but Guts knew what it had just done. He turned it over in his hand, still chuckling softly.

'I'll have to be careful with this thing from now on,' the swordsman thought, 'I don't want to be sent to some other crazy land every time I kill one of those bastards.' He threw the Behelit into his bag and stood up, dusting himself off and making sure all his gear had successfully traveled with him back to Midland. Guts was still wearing the bulky diving suit he was issued for Mount Asma, which he quickly stripped out of and threw off to the side in a heap.

'Now, after I killed this asshole I think I was going to Koka to—'

The sound of someone groaning tore Guts out of his thoughts. Slowly, he craned his neck to look behind him, and for the first time in a long while the Black Swordsman felt panic rising inside of him.

'What the fuck are _they_ doing here?'

On the ground, only a couple meters away from where Guts stood, were Shinji and Asuka. They were both still in their plugsuits, and while Shinji was still out cold Asuka slowly began to stir.

Guts weighed his decisions. Should he abandon them? They would do nothing but slow him down, and within the next day they would fall prey to either a group of bandits or wild animals. There would be no blood on his hands, and he could continue his quest without hindrance.

Even though he told himself it was the logical thing to do, the swordsman remained in the clearing. He stood there, simply waiting for the two Eva pilots to regain their senses.

"Ow, oh my God my head," Asuka muttered, hands pressed against her forehead as she writhed on the ground. She did this for a few moments, until eventually her body decided to pity her enough to dial it back just enough so the redhead could get her bearings. Asuka flopped on her back, eyes squinted as she stared up at the sky.

"What stinks?" she asked, still in a daze.

Guts pointed to the carcass. "That," he said.

Asuka nodded, as if that were the most sound answer in the world. Realization slowly began to dawn on her, however, and with a look of horror the Second Child bolted onto her feet, looking around like a frightened animal.

"Aagh!" she screamed, her vision going spotty as her head pounded violently. Still, Asuka remained on her feet, and as the pain slowly ebbed away she turned to face Guts.

"Where the hell are we?" she asked, _demanded_ of the swordsman through gritted teeth. "Oh God, it smells so bad…"

"We're in Midland," Guts answered.

"Midland…" Asuka wracked her mind, knowing she had heard that name somewhere. "Wait, you mean _your_ Midland!? As in, the world you're from!?"

"Yeah."

"What the fuck!? Why are we in fucking Midland!? I thought we were at Mount Asma!"

"I'm in Midland because it's my home," Guts told Asuka. "The question I should be asking is what are _you_ doing here?"

Asuka paused, recollecting the events that transpired before somehow winding up in an alternate universe. "We were on standby outside the volcano, and then the Angel hatched, your comms went dark, and then Shinji—" The redhead whipped around. "Shinji! Where is that bastard!? He tried to play superhero again by running in and rescuing your ass!"

'He jumped into the volcano to help me?' Guts thought. If that was the case, then that would explain everything that happened. And since nobody else except him and Asuka were here, that meant the redhead had also gone into the volcano. The swordsman nodded his chin in the direction of the boy. "He's over there."

Honing in on her target, Asuka marched over to Shinji's still comatose body and squatted near his face. "You asshole! What were you thinking, jumping into a freaking volcano with no gear!? Are you _trying_ to be such a kiss-ass to Misato and the Commander!?" Getting no response, Asuka scoffed and kicked dust in his face.

"Hey," Guts said, getting tired of Asuka's perpetual yelling, "shut up. He's unconscious. He can't hear your yapping even if he wanted to."

"Fuck off," Asuka snapped, "if it weren't for him I wouldn't be in this mess!"

Guts raised an eyebrow. "Who told you you had to follow him?"

Asuka stared at the Black Swordsman. Her current predicament was beginning to crash down on her, and with an anguished cry she fell on her rear and sobbed into her knees.

"Oh god, oh god! I'm in a completely different world! A complete different _fucking_ world! Eva, Kaji, Hikari, they're all gone! What am I going to do!?"

Guts said nothing. He decided it was best to let her be like this, to let her scream out her frustrations before deciding what to do next.

That, and consoling a distressed, already emotionally unstable teenage girl was something Guts was woefully underqualified for.

In the midst of Asuka's crisis, Shinji opened his eyes. Like the other two, his head felt like it was split open, and the Third Child was sent into sensory overload. He eventually was brought back to reality, and the second he inhaled through his nose Shinji puked up his lunch.

"Ugh, what's that horrible smell?" he asked, wiping his mouth. The intestines within arms-reach answered his question soon enough, and once again bile came spewing out of the brown-haired teen.

"Wh-where are we?" Shinji asked, looking around on his hands and knees. "I thought we were at Mount Asma."

"We were," Asuka bit at him, "but now we're in Guts' world!"

Shinji stared wide-eyed at Asuka, then at Guts. "W-what? What do y-you mean we're in Guts' world? T-there's no way…"

"She's telling the truth," Guts said. "This is exactly where I was before I was sent to your world. It happened right after I killed that guy over there."

There was a long period of silence. Shinji stared at the ground, his mind still processing what had just happened to him. Asuka peered into the forest ahead, her gaze distant and unfocused. They were both in states of total shock.

Guts glanced at the sky nervously. It was close to dusk, and that meant the spirits would be rousing themselves soon. The swordsman usually wasn't too disturbed by them these days, but with the extra baggage of two shell-shocked children a dark forest was the last place he wanted to be.

"Hey," Asuka's voice caught Guts' attention, "how did you bring all your stuff back with you? All I have is my plugsuit, so that means we only traveled with whatever was on our bodies at the time. Unless…" The redhead's eyes narrowed. "DId you bring all of it with you before the mission because you planned this the whole time?"

Guts crossed his arms. "Yeah, I did."

Asuka's face contorted in rage. "You fucking asshole!" She picked up a nearby rock and lobbed it at Guts, who easily dodged it. "So you were just going to abandon us!? Or, was it your plan all along to bring me with you? Do you have some sick, fucked up use for me? Torture!? Rape!?"

The Black Swordsman had had enough. "Shut the hell up!" His words cut through the air, and a deafening silence settled around them. The Second and Third Children stared at him dumbfoundedly.

"Listen," he began to explain, "how the hell was I supposed to know you were going to come into the volcano with me? This was my idea alone, and I had no intentions of bringing anyone back with me. All you'd do is get in my way, anyways." Guts dug through his bag, taking out the Behelit and holding it out in his hand. "This thing is the reason I came into your world, and it's the reason you came into mine. I don't know exactly how or why it works, but if you kill an Apostle with it nearby it'll send you into a different world...I think."

Shinji spoke up. "S-so, all we need to do is k-kill one of these Apostle things and we can go h-home?"

"Yeah, most likely," Guts said, "but it's not going to be that—" A noise in the forest cut him off, and the swordsman grabbed the hilt of the Dragonslayer in preparation. He held a finger to his lips to silence Asuka, who was about to question him.

"Someone's coming," he warned.

"Who the hell is wandering around a forest at this time?" Asuka asked in a hushed tone.

"Bandits, most likely. They like to camp out here at night and then ambush travelers along the roads during the day."

Shinji went pale at the thought of running into bandits. "S-s-should we run?" Asuka didn't want to admit it, but she was also having the same feelings as her fellow pilot. It was too late to make the decision, however, because the bandits were already standing in the clearing.

There were six of them, five male and one female. The girl looked exceptionally roughed up, and she stood at the front of the pack, so Guts had to assume she was their leader. She eyed them with a cocky grin, exposing her rotted out teeth.

"Looky what we found, boys! Fresh meat! And here I thought we were about to retire for the day!" Her compatriots cheered in agreement behind her, and the bandit leader drew her sword and beckoned at Guts with a finger.

"Come now, dearie. Hand over what ya got and nobody's gonna get hurt." She eyed up Shinji and Asuka, taking notice of their unusual outfits. "Say, those are some flashy clothes ya got there! Why don't you give 'em to us and we won't skin ya alive!"

"Sorry," Guts said, a menacing grin splitting his face, "but that ain't gonna happen." He moved to stand between the two teenagers and the bandits.

"Aww, playing hard to get, are we?" The leader pointed her sword at her targets. "Let's get 'em, boys!"

Shinji let out a shriek of terror. "Guts! What do we do!?" Guts said nothing, standing stock still as the bandits let out a battle cry and continued to advance closer and closer.

"Guts!" Asuka's voice was shaky, "do something!" The bandits were only a few meters away now, and they drew their swords back in preparation to attack.

The Black Swordsman planted his feet firmly into the dirt. He unsheathed the Dragonslayer in one swift movement, swinging it in a wide arc in front of him so fast nobody could tell if he had done anything at all. A haze of red filled the area as five of the bandits' bodies were sliced in two, their torsos sent flying into the air. Their corpses made meaty thuds as they impacted the ground.

The bandit leader stood in shock at what she just witnessed. She was in good company, too, as Shinji and Asuka were staring at Guts with equal expressions of awe and fear.

"W-w-what kind of sword is that!?" She cried. Guts gave her no answer and slowly began to walk towards her.

"No!" The leader stumbled and fell backwards, kicking her feet wildly to try and get away. "Please! Spare me! I'll never rob anyone ever again!"

Guts paused for a second, as if he was actually considering her words. He rubbed his chin in thought, giving the woman a glimmer of hope.

"Nah," he said, and with a raise of his prosthetic arm he popped open his repeating crossbow and fired an arrow through her throat.

'This actually turned out to be pretty convenient,' the swordsman thought, crouching next to the deceased bandit leader's body. He sifted through her bag, finding nothing more than a few loose coins and some stale food. 'Some bandit troop you were.'

The Second and Third Children remained frozen in place. Neither of them had ever actually seen Guts fight before, and cleaving five men in two was _not_ something an ordinary human should be able to do. His brutality and lack of mercy was also a terrifying force to behold.

"T-t-t-they're d-d-dead," Shinji shook. A twisted, agonized face of one of the bandits stared lifelessly at the boy, and Shinji fought the urge to throw up his stomach contents for a third time.

"Yeah, they are." Guts didn't look up—he was busy stripping the woman of her clothes. "You better get used to it, because when I'm around it's a pretty common thing." Guts balled the bandit leader's clothes up and tossed them at Asuka. They landed in a dirty pile in front of the redhead, who looked at the clothes and then back at him with a blank expression. Guts sighed.

"Put them on," the Black Swordsman instructed. "Those suits of yours will draw too much attention."

Asuka nodded robotically and did what she was told, slipping the ragged, brown outfit over her flashy red plugsuit.

"W-what s-should I w-wear?" Shinji asked. The boy looked around at the other bandits, but all their clothes were left bloodied and tattered thanks to Guts.

'Shit, I should have been a little more careful,' Guts thought. The swordsman shrugged his cloak off his shoulders and handed it to the Third Child. "Make sure you cover everything," he instructed. "I'll buy some stuff for us in the next town we go to."

"W-where are we going?"

"A town called Koka. I've got some business there."

"Business?" Asuka muttered, clutching her rags, "what, are you some kind of diplomat or something?" Guts ignored the Second Child's dry sarcasm.

"No, it's not that kind of business," he told her. Double checking to make sure all his gear was in order, the Black Swordsman sauntered out of the clearing and into the woods. Feeling a lack of presence behind him, Guts looked back and saw the two Children remained where they stood.

"Are you going to kill someone?" Asuka asked.

"Come on," Guts called out, ignoring Asuka and beckoning them with a wave of his arm. Shinji and Asuka both looked at each other hesitantly, but they got up on shaky legs and followed the swordsman into the treeline.

"This is bullshit," Asuka whispered to Shinji, her eyes locked on Guts' back. The two teens were trailing him a few paces behind. "I should be taking a hot bath right now, celebrating my victory, but no! Instead, I'm wandering through the woods with you and a psychotic murderer while wearing a dead woman's clothes." She scratched her sides vigorously. "They're so damn itchy, too!"

Shinji gripped Guts' cloak tightly, grimacing. "W-we don't have much of a choice, though. If what Guts said is true, we have to stay with him until we find another one of those Apostles he was talking about."

"About these 'Apostles'," Asuka raised her voice, making sure Guts could hear her. "What are they, anyways? Where we're from they're known as the disciples of Jesus, but judging by the way you've been talking about them they don't seem very Christian-like to me."

"I don't know who this 'Jesus' guy is," Guts said, continuing to walk forward without looking back, "but in my world they're demons; selfish, worthless sacks of shit who prey on humans. That body back there, or at least what's left of it, was once an Apostle."

"That shriveled old man?" Asuka asked, bewildered. "He looked perfectly human to me! Hell, he looked like he couldn't even harm a fly!"

"They were all humans at one point," Guts explained, a dark edge creeping into his voice, "but using a Behelit they sacrificed something—or someone—close to them in order to 'ascend'."

"So you're telling me that creepy-ass thing can actually turn me into a demon as well? I thought you were just bullshitting when you said that! How the hell am I supposed to trust it to teleport me and not...do...that!?" Asuka's hopes of returning home were quickly escaping her vision.

"Calm down," Guts said. "The only way you can become an Apostle is if you will it to happen yourself...you can't just accidentally turn into one."

"S-still," Shinji spoke up, "i-if they all look like humans, how are we supposed to know which ones are the Apostles."

Guts rubbed his neck. "Trust me, I'll know."

The small party fell into an awkward silence, making no sound except for the occasional crunch and snap as one of them would step on a leaf or twig. It was growing dark quickly, and Shinji and Asuka were starting to have a hard time navigating through the woods. An exposed tree root caught Asuka's foot, and with a startled yelp the redhead tumbled onto the forest floor. The Second Child clutched her ankle, groaning in pain quietly.

"A-Asuka! A-are y-you okay?" Shinji asked alarmingly, kneeling down and extending an arm to help her up. Guts stopped and turned to watch from a short distance away.

Asuka batted the Third Child's hand away. "Yeah, I don't need your help. I'm fine." She made an effort to stand, but collapsed as soon as she put weight on her bad ankle. "Shit, I think I sprained it…"

Guts groaned inwardly. An injured travelling companion was the last thing he needed right now. The swordsman pointed at Shinji. "We don't have time for this. Help her walk and I'll make a splint when we get to Koka."

Shinji stared at Guts' silhouette in the darkness for a second before a blush spread across his face. As much as he didn't want to do it, the young pilot knew there was no other choice. "O-o-okay," he agreed meekly. Shinji grabbed Asuka's arm gingerly, wrapping it around his shoulders as he slowly stood up. He could hear Asuka muttering strings of curses, but the Third Child did his best to ignore them.

They continued their trek, albeit at a slower pace. Guts was carrying himself in a seemingly casual manner, but his senses were on high alert. Nighttime had fully blanketed Midland, and with every passing second the Black Swordsman grew more antsy. His ears twitched with every little sound he heard, and every slight movement from his peripheral vision sent his eyes darting.

It was a lucky night for Guts, however, because he escaped the forest with minimal trouble aside from Asuka's fall. 'Damn things must have slept in,' he thought. A dirt road stretched and wound its way around the hills before them, and off in the distance the shimmering glow of Koka could be seen.

Guts spared a look at Shinji and Asuka. Shinji appeared normal enough, at least as normal as one could look given the recent series of events, but it was obvious that Asuka was less-than-pleased at needing to be hauled around by the other Eva pilot. The Second Child hadn't spoken a single word for almost an hour, and her eyes were locked onto the ground in front of her. Asuka's once immaculate red hair was now a dirty, matted mess that hung over her face.

'Welcome to Midland, princess,' Guts thought. 'You haven't seen anything yet.'

The trio crossed over onto the road and followed it to the entrance of Koka. To Shinji, it looked like an average medieval town you'd find in a book. They passed through the gates, the stone archway looming overhead. The Third Child glanced at one of the guards, but quickly snapped his gaze back to his feet when he saw the gruff man's look of disdain towards him.

A horse-drawn cart trotted past, its contents covered by a leather tarp. Shinji looked back at it out of curiosity, and looking back at him was a group of caged children no older than six or seven.

"G-Guts," Shinji shakily spoke to the Black Swordsman, "I think that cart his child slaves in it."

Guts didn't react at all. "So? What do you want me to do about it?" Shinji tried to retort, but the words died on his tongue. He decided it was best to just keep quiet.

There was an inn along the side of the road, across the street from a bar. Guts stopped outside the inn, digging through his bag. Shinji stared at him quizzically. "What are you looking for?" he asked.

The swordsman pulled out a tiny bag of money, weighing it in his hand for a second before tossing it at the Third Child. "That should be enough for a room," he said. "Stay in there until I come back."

Shinji was about to ask Guts where he was going, but Asuka decided her time of silence was now over.

"Oh hell no!" she hissed, glaring daggers at Guts. "You're not going to just dump us at this shitty hotel and go running off to God-knows-where. I refuse to let you out of my sight until I can go back to my world!"

Guts wrinkled his brow in frustration. "Look, I understand you don't trust me, but I do _not_ feel like babysitting you two right now. I'm going to the bar right across the street over here, and I'll be back in a couple minutes."

"No."

The temptation to cleave the redhead in half right then and there was tempting, but Guts decided it would draw too much attention if he did it in the middle of the road. Instead, the swordsman turned on his heels and walked towards the bar.

"Hey, wait you asshole!" Asuka shouted. Still hanging off of Shinji, the redhead turned her murderous gaze on him. "Follow him, Third."

Shinji's eyes shifted nervously between Guts and Asuka. "I-I don't k-know, Asuka...he made it sound like it'll be dangerous if we go in—"

"I don't give a fuck," she said. "For all we know he's going to dip out the backdoor and ditch us in this shithole. Follow. Him."

Not wanting to deal with Asuka's wrath, Shinji complied and shuffled towards the bar with Asuka in-tow. The Third Child opened the door slowly, and both children peeked their heads in at the exact moment Guts fired arrows through a group of men's skulls.

"What the fuck are you doing!?" Asuka shrieked. Shinji stumbled as he felt Asuka shift her weight, busting the door open and leaving the two pilots in a heap on the floor. Thankfully, the Children were paid little attention as the rest of the bar's patrons were too engulfed with the brawl happening on the other side.

Guts slammed one man's head on a table, an arrow lodged through his nose. "Are you one of the scum from Koka Castle?"

"I-I-I d-don't k-know w-what y-y-you mea—aaarrrgh!" The man screamed in pain as Guts yanked on the arrow.

"Answer me," Guts commanded.

"Y-yes, sir…"

"Good. I want you to deliver a message for me: tell your boss, 'The Black Swordsman has come.'"

The man looked up at Guts in fear. "The Black Swordsman…"

"Behind you!" someone called out. Another man attempted to rush Guts, but before he even knew what had happened he was cleaved in half. The Dragonslayer crashed into the wooden planks of the bar's floor, shooting splinters of wood and bone across the room.

"Don't forget," Guts said, shooting a final look at the man with an arrow in his nose before walking out of the bar. Nobody said a word as they watched him leave.

"Stop ignoring us you dick!" Asuka shouted at the swordsman's back from the floor. "Stand up, idiot," she ordered Shinji. Shinji huffed as he got to his feet with Asuka. The two teenagers followed Guts down the road and into a back alley, where he finally stopped and turned around to look at them. "Why aren't you at the inn?" he asked.

"Fuck you," Asuka spat. "Why are you doing this? Was it really necessary to murder those people like that?"

"Yes," Guts answered plainly. "The monster they work for is worse than scum. I have no sympathy for anyone who pledges their allegiance to an asshole like him."

"Who are you talking about?" Shinji asked.

Guts was about to answer, but a new voice suddenly intruded upon the conversation. "Hey! When you save someone, don't just leave them tied up like that!" it called out. The voice was high-pitched, almost childlike in nature.

The two pilots glanced around, looking for the source of the voice. From behind Guts, a small, glowing person with wings appeared, hovering around his head. "Wow! That's quite the sword you have there! Where'd ya get it?" The Black Swordsman acted like the tiny human didn't exist, while Shinji and Asuka stared at him in amazement.

"What the hell is that!?" Asuka yelled, pointing a finger brazenly.

"What? Haven't you ever seen an elf before?" The elf sounded almost insulted by Asuka's words. "Oh yeah, I'm Puck, by the way. Nice to meet you!" he perked up.

"Come on, let's go," Guts said, walking back to the inn.

"Woah! Where are you going? Don't just ignore me like that!" Puck called out, landing on Guts' shoulder. The moment he did, however, the swordsman's hand swatted him away violently. "The hell was that for!?" Puck cried.

"Don't touch me, I'll squash you," Guts coldly stated.

"What is it with you!? A person goes out of their way to show a little bit of gratitude, and this is how you repay them!?"

Suddenly, the alleyway flooded with soldiers, boxing in the small group on all sides. 'Shit. Guess I made a little too much noise back there,' Guts thought.

"Welp, gotta go!" and with that Puck flew up and over the rooftops. Guts gritted his teeth in annoyance as he watched him flee.

"What should we do with him, captain?" one of the soldiers asked.

The captain raised his visor, eyeing Guts up. "Take him to the dungeon for torture and interrogation. The Lord Mayor will decide what his fate will be from there." The soldiers nodded, moving in to disarm and restrain the Black Swordsman.

Off to the side, Shinji and Asuka watched Guts get taken into custody. Another soldier was staring at them, motioning for the captain with a wave of his arm. "What about those two over there? The bartender said there was a boy and a girl who looked like they were accompanying him."

The captain scratched his chin. "Take them in as well. The big one doesn't look like he'll do much talking, but these two will probably squeal after just a few lashes."

The Second and Third Children went white as sheets. From his position on the ground, Guts looked at them with a devilish smirk. "I told you not follow me."


End file.
